Lucky Charm
by Dmfritsc
Summary: Jem hasn't seen Kate since before Walpole.  She's became a politician in Boston, determined to fix Charlestown.  Will Jem save her after all of the hell she put him through?
1. Chapter 1: The Bitch

It was early; early for someone with a raging hangover and still high off of cocaine. He sun hit his eyes like a laser, causing him to throw his hand up in disgust. "Fuckin' shit," he crooned getting up to shut the blinds. On his way to the window he tripped over a mound of beer bottles, condoms, cigarette butts, and a small mirror with coke residue on it. The noise caused the girl in his bed to yell out in protest to the noise. "The fuck are you still doin' here?" He turned to scowl at the girl as the shades fell to the windowsill with a loud bang.

"Spendin' the night, Jem. You fuckin' said I could, asshole," she barked back, rolling herself up into his sheets even farther. His blue eyes surged with rage. No one was supposed to spend the night with him. That was reserved for one girl only and the fuck if he knew where she was now. His head spun as the anger overrode his senses.

"You get your whore ass the fuck out of my bed right now," he spat, ripping the sheets off her. The girl yelped out of fear and stood bare assed before him. Her body was bruised in places with needle marks tracking the insides of her arms. Her blonde hair was a ratted mess and her body odor was even worse than the sight. "You know my damn rules, Mandy." She rolled her eyes at him and threw a worn out, stained hoodie with baggy jeans on.

"It's Jessica, you fuckin' prick. At least get my name straight if you're gonna be an ass. You called me Kate almost all fuckin' night and now my name is Mandy? For a playboy, you're a pretty shitty one if you ask me." She stormed out past him and slammed his front door on the way out. Jem sat down on his bed, combing his dark blonde hair between his hands, he stopped at the nape of his neck, rubbing his tattoo of a fighting Irishman. The name Kate haunted him even his drugged out stupors. He would never forgive himself for what he did to her. She was supposed in his bed at night, she was supposed to be in his bed holding him close, in the kitchen making him breakfast, humming random music, and helping clean up his mess of a room.

Before he could stop himself he pulled a worn down picture out of his nightstand. His eyes traced the girls face, her bright green eyes, her long, curly light brown hair, her square jaw… he felt his eyes swell at the smile on her face. It had been 10 years since he had last seen her and as far as he knew, he deserved to never see her again. His admittance into Walpole caused her father to pull her as far away from Jem as possible. Her father had succeeded. Jem had put his own anger and "brother" ahead of the one girl he knew he had a chance at spending the rest of his life with. By making the bold mistake of pulling the trigger on some piece of shit that threatened his best friend when beating the shit out of him would have been enough to scare him off. He rubbed a hand along the silver chain necklace and cross pendant Kate had given him on his 18th birthday as a present. Holding it brought back a memory that he desperately wanted to forget. Jem swiftly stood and pulled a small Ziploc bag of coke out of his jeans pocket on the floor. "I'll drown you out of my life if it's the last fuckin' thing I do," he raged. He cut the coke up on the extra mirror next to his bed, snorted threw an old straw and collapsed on the bed. "I fuckin' loved you," he mumbled through the haze as he tossed her picture to the ground.

Kate sat up in bed with a jolt. She was supposed to give a speech and her alarm hadn't went off. Was she late? Was it early? "Brian," she huffed, pushing her boyfriend's side lightly. He didn't stir. "Brian!" she repeated a little louder, this time giving him a hard shove in the side. Brian groaned and peered up her. Her light brown hair slightly messed from their night before, her eyes wide as she searched through the room to see if she could spot a clock. "What time is it?" He rolled down and picked up his cell phone before handing it over to her. She peered down at the time with a curse escaping her lips. She had an hour before she was supposed to be at the town hall to meet the mayor. She threw the cell phone back at Brian before running into the shower. After a quick scrub and drying of her hair she ran out in a hurry, dressing quickly. Her hair cascaded down around over her shoulder as she bent over to pick up her clothes exposing a four leaf clover tattoo with the initials JC on her right shoulder. It was about the size of an index card. Brian sighed as his eyes landed on it.

"I wish you would get that shit on your shoulder removed," he grumbled while standing up to dress himself. He stood tall, wide, and muscular with a shaven head. He had been her bodyguard since she started out on this political journey, having just been elected, it was time to make a difference. She was going to be giving her speech today and he needed to be on his guard. She smirked while buttoning her purple dress shirt.

"I wish you would quit crying about it. It's so pathetic. It was years ago. He was an ex-boyfriend of mine. He's in prison for murder. You shouldn't worry yourself about some reject from Charlestown." He rolled his brown eyes. How could he forget? He'd heard the story a million times since they had started dating a year ago. Kate had been born and raised in Boston up until she was 17. Her father moved them straight out of the city the minute he had heard about her boyfriend's arrest. Her father did everything he could to keep them under the radar out of Jem's reaches. She hated her father for years. She never wanted anything more than to marry Jem, have children, and live out her life in Boston. It took a lot of courage and maturity to understand that her father had done the right thing. He saved her from drowning in the swirling pit of failure and crime that was Charlestown. She spent years recalling on what could have been, how she would have ended up a miserable woman with multiple kids, living off Jem's huge 'busts', addicted to pills and alcohol, never making her life anything more than a baby maker and house keeper. "It's my life and my memories. I don't regret a second of it. Even this," she said pointing to her shoulder as she strode past him to grab a charcoal pencil skirt out of the closet. "It's made me who I am today."

"How did you even make it to this position? Here you are a girl with a history in Charlestown and now a Representative of Massachusetts. Most people would raise their eyebrows at such a story."

"I lived near Charlestown, Brian. Not in it. There's a big difference," she spat. "And it's not as rough as everyone claims it is. There are just bad morals there. The people need a big change."

"And you're going to bring that?"

"Yes, I am," she whispered while adjusting her clothes in the full length mirror.

Jem sat down on the bar stool at his usual pub. It was only two in the afternoon and after his high he was ready to get drunk. "Fill it up and don't stop 'em, man," he ordered the bartender. "I'm ready to get fucked up." He grabbed the Budweiser placed before him and started chugging it almost immediately. One of the patrons ordered the bartender to turn up the television as the mayor came on the screen. Jem's eyes diverted to the television as he drank. He hardly ever watched the news. To him it was pointless and boring. The bartender turned up the television as the mayor spoke. He took a long swig of his beer, sat it down, and snapped his fingers. Another bottle was placed before him quickly. The bartender knew better than to keep Jem Coughlin waiting.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Boston, I would like to introduce to you our newest Representative, Katherine Faust…" Jem's eyes grew to the size of plates as her name was announced. He refrained from drinking anything for a minute as the camera switched to her walking up on the stage. Her eyes were bright green, just as he remembered. He felt a pain in his heart watching her smile and wave to the crowd as they cheered. Pain was not something he dealt with very well. The pain always made him angry. His right fist balled up as the camera closed in on a shot of her face. Memories flew through his brain. All of the memories he was trying so desperately to forget flooded into him. He spun his gold and green Claddagh ring around his finger to keep his hands busy as the first day he met her played through his head like a nightmare…

"You sure it's safe out here?" Kate asked looking over at her friend, Sofia. Sofia was a rich girl with a fetish for trouble. The worse a boy was, the harder she fought to win him into her bed.

"Girl, I've been out here plenty of times. Never had one problem in the hundreds of times I've walked these streets. Besides, the men love me. They'd defend me if there was trouble," she answered with a cocky shake of her hips. They were wearing jeans and tight fitting t-shirts with tennis shoes. Sofia's cousins had a small apartment that they threw parties in and Sofia was always invited, even at 16. The apartment was in the shadiest part of a shady town. It was as bad as it could be. Kate held onto Sofia's arm as they walked into the apartment. There were at least 30 people in the small apartment. Bodies were everywhere. The music was loud, people dancing in the every area, some people making out among the few that were doing drugs. "He's over there," she sang, pointing to her cousin Hector sitting on the arm of a couch with a few rough looking guys. One had dark blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes, the other had dark brown hair and equally dark eyes, the last one was larger in frame with his head shaven and eyes shut. Sofia pulled her through the crowd as she sang at her cousin. "Hector!" she cried running over to throw her arms around him. He greeted her with a large hug.

"Who'd you bring with you?" Hector asked motioning to Kate standing awkwardly on the edge of the crowd. His eyes traced her body and face.

"Hector, this is my best friend Kate," she giggled, dragging Kate closer to the group of men. Kate's father would have grounded her for life if he had found in her such a place. It wasn't the Faust way he would say harshly while telling her all about the hardships he went through to make a life for them. He worked as a prestigious doctor at the hospital downtown along with her mother who was a nurse. Kate smiled and gave a wave at Hector, while sheepishly standing beside her friend. "Kate, this is my cousin Hector and his friends Jem, Doug, and Gloansy. They each nodded at her with respect, greeting her into the group. Jem stared at her for a long time causing her to dip her head down to stare the floor. She was painfully shy. It was a major weakness she had that drove Jem absolutely wild. He wasn't used to girls behaving that way.

"You wanna beer?" he asked holding up his cup.

"Get two," Sofia barked as Jem walked into the kitchen. He gave her an odd glance before walking away. Sofia had been trying to get Jem for months, but failed miserably. He wasn't into girls who were too into themselves. It was intriguing and fun for a while until they were complaining that he was spending too much doing his job instead of spending all of his time with them. All girls like Sofia wanted was more and more, once the bad boy effects wore off, they were done and onto the next. Jem returned and held out the beers to them.

"Thank you," Kate told him with a smile. He smiled back to her and refilled his space on the couch. Sofia ignored the gesture like it was expected and sat on the small loveseat that sat perpendicular to the couch.

"You go to school around here?" Jem asked, taking a drink from his cup.

"I live downtown and go to a private school just outside the city." Jem nodded his head.

"A fancy city girl, huh?"

"I guess…" she trailed off and took a drink, looking over to watch Sofia pull out a cigarette. She lit it and handed it out for Kate to take. Kate took it from her hands and placed it in her mouth clumsily. Jem smirked behind his cup as she inhaled and coughed abruptly. "No, thank you," Kate coughed holding the cigarette back out for Sofia to take.

"You make it look so unsexy," Sofia scoffed as she took the cigarette back. She inhaled gracefully and blew it out of the corner of her mouth.

"It took me a few times to get used to it," Jem added as Kate pounded on the front of her chest. "Don't feel bad."

Present day Jem felt his body heat rise. "Turn that fuckin' television off right fuckin' now or I will shoot the mother fucker off the fuckin' wall," he screamed as Kate started talking. He couldn't listen to her voice. It would drive him over the edge and he was already standing on the cliff. He flung himself off the stool and started pacing. His black Adidas track pants making an audible swish with each step. This was too crazy for him. She haunted his mind and now she was back. His body carried him out of the door and before he could think twice he was outside of the Town Florist. He needed to kill someone and he needed to do it fast. "Give me a fuckin' job right now," he ordered, slamming his fist onto Fergus Colm's counter. Fergie jumped. He had been off in his own mundane world of trimming flowers and the noise Jem made shocked him back to life.

"What's your damn deal, boy?" Fergie asked turning on his heel to watch Jem pace angrily.

"That bitch is back," he growled through his teeth as he slammed his hands back on the counter.

"Cut that slammin' shit out. It's rattlin' my fuckin' ears. I'm an old man, Jem." He sat a few stems of roses down with the shears and walked out from around his counter. "Now who is back? What bitch are we talkin' about here? Last I checked, every woman was a bitch to you." Jem dropped his head, put his hands on his tattoo, and took a few deep breaths.

"Kate. She's back," he responded quietly. He held his head down and continued deep breathing. It was an exercise they tried to teach him anger management that he never fully understood until this moment. The heat released from his body, but he still felt the anger in his throat. Fergie's bright blue eyes grew brighter at the name. Kate was the one woman Jem had truly loved and she was back. This was going to pose a problem. Not just for Jem's personal life, but his work life as well. He needed to nip the situation in the bud as soon as possible before Jem went out and got himself thrown in prison again. Fergie could barely scrape through the years Jem spent in Walpole. Doug McCray, Jem's best friend, was a hell of a conman, but nowhere near as successful as Jem was.

"What're you thinkin' about doin', son?" Fergie asked calmly as he returned to his spot behind the desk.

"I just want to fuckin' kill someone. Fuck that bitch." His eyes circled around the small flower shop as he thought about what would happen if he ran into her on the street. How he would handle seeing her feet away from him, knowing he would never have her again. It had been different before she was back in town. He couldn't find her. He had tried unsuccessfully many times only for his trails to stop right before he would find out where she was living. She seemed completely fine and it ate his insides away. He was confused as to how she could be back in Boston and seem completely at ease. She seemed fine knowing the man she claimed was the love her life was somewhere in the city and that she hadn't seen him in 10 years. He wasn't going to let her continue to think it was alright. He had to do something.

"Somethin' tells me that's not what you really feel."

"Since when do you fuckin' care? All you care about is your money and when the fuck you get your money. Leave my fuckin' feelings out of this," Jem hissed.

"Hey!" Fergie yelled, bringing Jem to attention. "Watch your tone with me. I do nothin', but give you jobs to keep your sorry ass alive, Coughlin. If it wasn't for me you'd be rottin' in a ditch, dead. You're under my command and it's my damn job to make sure you don't get all hormonal like a bitch and go do somethin' stupid for some pussy you had ten years ago. Let it fuckin' go." Jem breathed in out heavily. Every fiber of his being pulled back to keep him from exploding. He knew if he even touched Fergie he'd have 10 guys up his ass sideways.

Kate snuggled into bed next to Brian in her silk ivory nightgown. It clung to her curves nicely, accenting everything in all of the right places. Brian pulled her closer to him and breathed in her scent. She smelled amazing. He closed his eyes and kissed her neck. She buckled at the feeling and smiled realizing what he wanted. She moved on top of him, ready to progress things to the next level when a knock came from the door. "Room service," called out a voice. They both raised their eyebrows at each other and stopped kissing.

"Did you?" she asked curiously.

"Hours ago, but I cancelled it," he answered seriously. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and cracked the door open slightly. There was a loud bang as Brian shot back against the wall and two masked men entered the room. Kate screamed loudly and breathlessly as the men walked up to her, guns in hand. She kicked and screamed louder until one man cocked his gun.

"Scream again and I will fuckin' kill you." She shut her mouth and cowered in the corner, tears rolling down her face as she peered over to see blood pooling out of Brian's chest. "We're gonna put this on your head. You even attempt to move and I won't think twice." He motioned towards his gun while the other one threw a blindfold over her face.


	2. Chapter 2: Mike & Tom

It was an overcast rainy day. Jem walked through the streets of Charlestown to a small community ice rink to meet with his crew. They had a job coming up soon and plans still needed to be made. He opened the door with a loud squeak and walked up to his crew of Gloansy, Dez, and Doug. Doug held his head down low while Dez and Gloansy both avoided Jem's gaze, staring off into the middle of the rink. "Somebody fuckin' die or something?" Jem scoffed as he pulled a cigarette out of his pants pocket. Doug looked up at him, made a face and shook his head.

"Where you been the last 12 hours?" Doug asked seriously, crossing his arms.

"High, but the hell does it matter where I've been? You my fuckin' bitch now? Why do you care?"

"Hey, chill the fuck out," Doug quipped back. "I got somethin' serious to tell you. Now sit down and be serious. Ya fuckin' prick." Jem sat down on a part of the bleacher, but not before crossing his arms and shaking out his jacket.

"What has you all so eaten up and shit? Did Fergie finally die?"

"It's about Kate, Jem…" Doug stopped talking for a minute to evaluate his best friend's feelings. He knew she was a sensitive subject for him and it had been his fault Jem didn't see her for 10 years. Jem's eyes widened.

"Is she alright?" he sputtered, rising to his feet immediately. "Was she in an accident? Did someone try to kill her already?" He put his hands to hips and walked to the barrier of the rink. If he was going to cry he wasn't going to let anyone see. As much as he hated her, he didn't want her to die. Some part of him still hoped she had felt the same way.

"Someone kidnapped her from her room last night and murdered her bodyguard in their hotel room." He adjusted the weight on his feet. Hearing the words from Doug's mouth made his heart ache. He couldn't fight it as much as he wanted to, he was genuinely concerned. It scared the shit out of him to know he still felt that way even after the years of trying not to. His right hand aimlessly felt the outline of the silver cross pendant on his chest.

"Who did it?"

"We don't know yet, man. I'm sorry." Jem had never saved a girl more in his life. Most of the girls he used in Charlestown could handle themselves. Kate was the complete opposite. She was always so different them. He shook his head realizing that she had never changed. She was still a damsel in distress even nearing her 30's. He put his hands in his black track suit jacket before turning around to face his friends. He sniffed and looked into each of their faces.

"If we don't know what in the fuck are we doin' standin' around here with our thumbs up our asses?" Jem barked. He was angry Doug hadn't looked into it, because he came out of nowhere with news like that and no leads. "I want every assholes name that would do something like this, because you know they're from the fuckin' Town." He slammed the skating rink door open and walked down the street to the one person he knew would have anything to do with kidnapping a politician. Owen Finnegan.

Kate sat up slowly against a grimy coated wall. It was slippery and cold against her back. The floor was covered in gravel. It wasn't too cold, but it was uncomfortable to sit on. She could feel the cold through her nightgown. She cursed not grabbing something more to wear. The captors hadn't even offered her a blanket or towel, something to keep her from freezing. Her feet were beginning to turn a pale blue color. She shivered and ran her hands quickly against her arms. It was only the beginning of spring and in the middle 40's. "Just perfect," she breathed, staring at the empty room. There were no windows and only a small table and chair in the middle. The stairs sat on the opposite side of the room from her. Without even thinking she ran up the steps as quietly as possible and huddled up next to the warm wooden door. Heat poured through the crack between the door and the floor. She held her hands along the crack to feel as much warmth as possible. A board on the other side of the door squeaked causing her jump up in fear.

"What are we gonna do boys?" asked a voice. She crouched back down to try and look out of the crack. It was about half an inch, just enough for her to make out the soles of the men's shoes.

"Fuck, man, I have no idea. We were told to wait for a reward amount to be posted," answered another voice.

"Tom, I cannot wait for another day. That money don't come soon… she's dead," this first voice spoke. She felt the air escape her lungs. She had only been in office for a week and she was already wanted dead. There was no reasoning or excuse for it. All she had done was propose a harsher punishment on criminals from Charlestown, such as more community service or serving a short stint in the National Guard, something to keep the men from falling backwards.

"Goddamn Mike, it's only been 12 hours an' you're ready to off her, just like that? Grow a fuckin' pair, man. She's only a politician. She doesn't know nothin' about the lives of actual people, only those fancy rich fucks she deals with…"

"She's actually a lot closer to home than you think."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"She used to date Jem Coughlin," Mike explained calmly. Tom coughed and made a loud point of clearing his throat.

"I don't think I heard you right. What did you just say?"

"She knows all about this part 'uh town, Tom. She dated Jem just before his little stint in Walpole." The men moved around the room before sitting in two chairs.

"An' you think Jem is jus' gonna let his ex-girlfriend be kidnapped? Do you know what Jem Coughlin does to people who fuck with people he loves? Are you fuckin' retarded?" A smile crept up on Kate's lips thinking of Jem busting the door and tearing everyone down in the room just to save her. He should have been used to it after the time she was in high school…

"You know Jem is gonna come for you, right?" Kate asked with a smirk as the man, Bobby Harmon, handcuffed her to the radiator in his room.

"Not if he don't know where ya are," he said with confidence, tightening the handcuffs one more notch just because of her comment. Bobby was tired of playing second fiddle to Doug and Jem. He was always looked at as the reject in the Town. It was beginning to wear on his nerves. After a lot of thought he figured in some way that by kidnapping the toughest asshole's girlfriend in the city that he could make people respect him.

"He'll find me and then he'll kick your fuckin' ass all the way to the harbor." Bobby pulled back and smacked her across the mouth hard. It sent her hair flying. Her jaw ached in pain. She felt her blood fill her mouth. She spit the blood from her mouth and hung her head. He was tired of the bullshit that Jem Coughlin had caused. He was ready to make him pay.

"Talk to me like that again and I'll blow that pretty fuckin' face right the fuck off," he growled right beside her ear. "I'll make it so the only thing Jem leaves with is a dead fuckin' body." She tensed up and sank back to the radiator in defeat. It took a few hours. Bobby left her alone in the room to drink a few beers and jerk off to the pride he had felt. He wasn't interested in trying to have sex with Kate, because he wanted to be ready for Jem. He wouldn't be able to guard himself in the middle of sex. Around midnight the door downstairs was kicked open and Kate knew her Irish prince had arrived.

"Bobby fuckin' Harmon, get your degenerate ass out here now, Jem screamed with the voice of a hundred men. Kate listened as Bobby scrambled out of the room next to her and down the stairs. "I believe you have someone who belongs to me." A gun cocked and Kate heard more footsteps stomp into the house.

"Hey, Jem. We can talk about this," Bobby stuttered. A gun fell to the ground. Jem laughed hysterically almost manically.

"You-want…" he laughed harder "…to talk about-" he stopped talking. "I'm gonna beat your ass into a fuckin' coma." She heard a lot of shuffling and crashing. Doug yelled a few times with Gloansy and then all of the movement stopped. A pair of footsteps came up the stairs as they started yelling her name… She was saved.

"You came for me," she said with tears streaming down her eyes as he pulled the handcuffs from her wrists.

"Of course I did," Jem retorted with a smile. He held her to him and smiled, gently touching the tattoo on her shoulder. "What would I do without my lucky charm?" She smiled and kissed his cheek.

And yet, here she was captured again. She always felt so weak having to depend on Jem all of the time. It had been 10 years and yet here she was… in a cold basement in her nightgown with no idea why. "Shut your fuckin' mouth and show me some respect. Fergie is the one that told me to get her, scare her into resignin' an' movin' out of here. She'll fuck up all of our lives out here. We're jus' supposed to scare her for a bit an' release her when the money gets to the account."

"An' what if Jem shows up before we get the money, huh? Did your big fuckin' Einstein brain think of that scenario? What about Jem? You think he's just gonna sit on by and let her remain in captivity? She still has his fuckin' tattoo on her shoulder, Mike."

"Relax!" Mike yelled. "Re-fuckin'-lax. If Jem shows up, we'll kill that piece of shit." Kate crouched back down the steps and curled back up into the corner as the men talked. Jem would be there soon. She knew he would be. Even if he didn't, she knew Doug would. They wouldn't let her stay locked up like this. She shivered harder and watched her breath manifest in the air and disappear. This was by the far the worst condition she had been in in the four times she had been abducted. The door opened to the basement and a bowl and bottle of water was sat on the top step.

"Come eat up, bitch," yelled Tom as he slammed the door. She waited at the bottom step to make sure they were far away before climbing up to grab a small bag of chips and the bottle of water. Some meal. She didn't complain that she was being fed at least. No one else had fed her before. She ate slowly and drank even slower. Her eyes became heavy as she leaned against the wall, about to drift off to sleep. Kate pulled her knees up close to her body, wrapped her arms around them, put her head down on top of them, and said a small prayer.

"What the hell do you mean, 'I don' know where she is'," barked Jem, pulling back his fist to punch Owen in the face one more time. He knew deep down in his gut that if anyone had the balls or the man power to kidnap someone of Kate's status it would be Owen. Doug sighed and grabbed Jem's fist before he could strike Owen again. He paused and stared at Doug with a scowl on his brow. Doug knew that beating the hell out of Owen wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Look, Owen…" Doug started, looking around the room at the pictures of Owen's wife and kids. "This girl that Jem's lookin' for is a part of his family. She means a lot ta him and it'd be in your best interests jus' ta let us know where she is." Owen let out a long sigh and rolled onto his back. His red hair was matted with fresh blood from a cut on his forehead, his eyes were beginning to bruise, and he was pretty sure his left arm was broken in a couple of places. He didn't know where the girl was, but he said the only thing he could to get Jem to leave him alone.

"I heard a few guys the other night talkin' about a big sum of money people give up for a politician. They shell out more money than they know what to do with if somethin' happens to one of those blood suckin' assholes," Owen explained. "I overhead 'em at the strip club a few blocks from 'ere. I think they're names are Tom and Mikey or Tommy and Mike… somethin' like that. I don't talk ta people around there much, they ain't good for nothin'." Doug nodded over at Jem as they both made eye contact. They left promptly without saying another word to Owen. That's just the way things were. The strip club, The Kitten, was completely full. It was the only one in Charlestown and being a Friday night, everyone was in the mood to get high and crazy.

"Pussy's full tonight," Gloansy joked as they entered a smoky hallway that lead to the main room with the stage. Doug gave a disapproving glare to Gloansy as they all entered the room. A girl was up on the stage dancing while random girls danced in between the crowd to the man with the highest amount of cash in his pocket, mainly men that girls knew had hit a big sum of money from a heist earlier in the week. Word traveled around Charlestown fast. Two extremely skinny girls approached the men topless with only thongs and heels on. They were the regular strippers of Jem and Doug's choosing.

"You boys score big today?" the blonde asked, licking her lips as she looked at Doug.

"Nah, we're here for a couple of fuckin' douche bags who might have kidnapped an old friend of ours. You ladies heard of any guys named Tom or Mike?" Doug replied, scoping the room for anyone, as if the sign would be right above their heads pointing out who they were. The brunette looked at Jem and smiled.

"What's the matter, baby?" she asked in a coo, approaching Jem to try and hustle him into staying for a while. He flinched away from her touch and glowered at her.

"Don' fuckin' touch me," he spat. She backed away slowly and held her hands up.

"I heard of 'em, but they usually don't come in until Saturday nights," the blonde explained, keeping her eyes on Jem. She knew all about his temper and didn't want her best friend harmed in the middle of his warpath. With a quick swipe of her hand she pulled the brunette behind her and pointed back behind the stage. "The regular girl they use is back there. Her name is Jasmine. She's went home with one of 'em before go ask her."

"Thank you," Doug replied, slipping her a twenty before they walked back to the dressing room. The dressing room was dark, pill bottles of every drug known to man littered the tables amidst make up, straighteners, curling irons, fake eyelashes, bottles of liquor and packs of cigarettes. A Hispanic stripper stood at a vanity, messing her hair, checking out her backside of her costume when she noticed the men walking towards her. She threw back a shot glass and greeted them.

"Interested in a dance?" she asked seductively, grabbing the collar of Doug's jacket.

"Nah," he answered calmly, pulling her hands down from his collar. "We're here about a couple guys that ya dance for. A stripper out there said ya dance for 'em often. Mike and Tom?" The girl froze for a minute and looked between Jem, Gloansy, and Dez.

"Don't even think about runnin'," Jem warned, pulling out his gun slowly from the waistband of his pants. The girl scoffed at him and sat down.

"Like I'd run from Jem Coughlin. Momma didn't raise no fool, baby." She pulled a brush through her hair and pouted her lips. "I've messed with those fools before. They pay nice, but they ain't much ta look at."

"Do ya know where they live at?" Doug asked curiously, leaning in to look at her face in the mirror. She shrugged and turned to look at him, her arm hanging over the chair. No information was free in Charlestown. He sighed and pulled out a twenty. Jasmine laughed and pushed the money back towards him.

"Information like that is gonna cost a lot more, honey. They're my best payin' clients and by tha looks of things, it doesn't exactly look like you boys are headin' over ta eat corned beef an' hash," she whispered with a sly smile on her face. Doug rolled his eyes and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Her brown eyes looked at the money than Jem's face. He stared at her seriously, hatred filling them faster and faster as the seconds ticked back. He knew it was important to get to her as soon as possible. The longer she was out of their hands, there was more a chance for them to do harm to her. She pulled the money out of his hand slowly. "Whatever they did it's important ta ya, huh, Jem?" she asked curiously. She couldn't resist a moment to razz the most feared man in the Town.

"You have no fuckin' idea, bitch," he answered between his teeth. He leaned in closer. "If she fuckin' dies in the middle of this round about bullshit you're playin' I'll kill you and everyone you love." She held her hands up and leaned back. That answer was a lot worse than the one she expected.

"Calm down, Jem. Don't get your shit all twisted. For Christ's sake, they live in a small house just by the bridge. Union and Main," she sputtered. Jem left the room quickly and headed straight for the car. Doug ran out behind him with the guys in a hurry.

Kate had no idea what time it was, due to the fact that there were no windows and they hadn't opened the door to drop off any more food. The door upstairs busted open and she knew in heart exactly what was going on. She fumbled herself to a standing crouch as footsteps stomped across the floor. "Kate?" yelled a familiar, angry voice. "Kate, please tell me where tha fuck you are." Her voice faltered as she tried to call out for him. Footsteps came barreling down the stairs and guns were fired. There were two large thuds on the floor. Mike and Tim had met their demise. Her legs forced her up the stairs to the wooden door. She knocked hard. The adrenaline rush made her body warm a few degrees and she finally piped out a few words.

"In- here," she yelled, still pounding on the door. The door opened and a rush of hot air splashed against her body, she stumbled for a second, but hands caught her. Jem fell to the ground with her.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously looking over her body. "Get her a fuckin' blanket. She's like a fuckin' corpse." Doug fled the room and grabbed a quilt off of the couch. He tossed it over to Jem as he removed his track jacket and wrapped it around her chest.

"Just tired and cold-" she whispered between her bluish colored lips. Her teeth chattered as she held a hand up to his cheek. "I'm sorry," she breathed, the tears of guilt running down her cheeks. Her heart burned at the guilt from never reaching out to him, never finding him again, letting him waste away all of those years worrying about her. She broke his heart and she had no reason to. He fought the urge to cry like hell. He couldn't be angry with her in the state she was in. Jem's hand wrapped around her's and he swallowed hard. "I'm so sorr-"

"Just be quiet for now. You need ta calm down and reserve your strength, alright? We'll talk later." She nodded and leaned her body against his before falling asleep. "I'm glad those mother fuckers are dead," he seethed, holding her with both of his hands.

"We need ta get her to a hospital, Jem," Doug stated calmly. He nodded and stood up, with her in his arms bridal style.


	3. Chapter 3: Change

Jem sat down beside Kate, holding her hand as the nurse inserted an IV into her arm full of fluids. They had sat a large heated blanket over her to help her retain heat and changed her into a pair of sweats with a sweatshirt. "You gonna be okay?" Doug asked sitting down on the opposite side of her.

"I'll be alright," he answered softly, holding Kate's right hand.

"I'll be back in later to check on her," the nurse whispered before shutting the door behind her. Doug stood up to look out of the window and watched as drizzle ran down the dark windows. It was four in the morning and he was tired. He had been running all across town with Jem and he had "work" to do at the gravel pit the next morning, but he couldn't leave his brother alone.

"Too bad we didn't get a chance ta ask who hired them."

"Guess shooting them in the chest and head on sight didn't help, huh?" Jem asked. Doug smiled broadly and turned to face his friend. That was just Jem's way. He didn't save time for asking questions. They had been together long enough for Doug to understand that he was never going to change his ways. He knew that Jem wouldn't change his way with Kate either. She had an effect on him he hadn't seen before. She made him softer. It was still surreal for him to watch his violent best friend tone back.

"Na, not really, but I knew you couldn't resist. I'm not mad at ya." Doug's eyes watched as Jem gently rubbed his hand along Kate's. She stirred slightly and started to moan a few words. Jem stood up on his feet and hunched over her.

"Kate?" he asked repeatedly, squeezing her hand a few times. He pushed imaginary hairs back on her forehead with his free hand and continued speaking her name.

"J-Jem?" she asked, her eyes squinted open. "It's fuckin' bright in here," she mumbled holding a hand up to cover her eyes.

"Doug, get the lights." He flicked them off and Kate opened her eyes wider to see Jem's chain dangling inches from her face. A smiled played on her lips and she touched it with her fingertips before looking up into the fierce blue eyes that she had missed for so long. His lips touched her forehead, causing her to smile even wider. "I was so fuckin' worried about you. Doug told me what I happened an' I thought I was gonna lose it." He sat down in the chair and didn't release her hand.

"Do ya know who hired the guys?" Doug asked, taking his seat on her other side. "Did ya catch any name or hear anything?" She swallowed and looked at the both of them. She had no idea how they would react to hearing that their leader, Fergie, was the one who sent them out. With a lot of courage she nodded and stared at the hospital tag on her left wrist.

"Fergie," her voice croaked. Jem slammed his right fist on the armrest of his chair. It caused her to jump. "He was hoping I would skip town. He thinks I am gonna be bad business coming back into the picture around here. Screwing up his life in more than one way," she spoke looking at Jem's face. He was twisted with anger. The rose from his chair and stood to look out of the window.

"That mother fucker," he growled, his fists balled at his sides. "That. Mother. Fucker." Doug stood up to follow Jem. He held his hands up as he approached Jem. There was no telling if Jem was going to lash out and Doug knew he was way too tired to wrestle a pissed off James Coughlin.

"Hey, we gotta look into it, Jem. Maybe it was a misunderstandin' or…"

"I went and talked to that fuckin' asshole," he screamed, turning to face Doug. "I told 'im about her bein' back in town, Doug." He cowered back away from Jem and folded his arms across his chest. "He's afraid I'm gonna get thrown back in Walpole or get too tied up in her-" The anger from the last 10 years was catching up to him with his newfound anger at Fergie. "Like that shit's gonna happen. You fuckin' left me out high an' dry an' I wanna fuckin' know why," he yelled, storming over to her bedside. "Call me your love of your life an' bail like that. What the fuck's wrong with you?" Tears swelled in her eyes as he spoke.

"Jem, leave her alone," Doug ordered, putting his hands on Jem's shoulders. "She just woke the fuck up an' you're already bein' a douche. Leave her alone an' sit down." He slowly planted himself in his chair and cross his arms over his chest. He straightened in his chair and glowered at her as she wiped tears off of her face.

"You an' me?" He pointed to her than back at himself. "Never a-fuckin'-gain. Never. Fergie don't have shit ta worry about. This shit is done. I saved your ass and now I'm here ta say, good bye. I am actually gonna say it unlike your rude ass." Jem pulled down his black track suit jacket and pointed at her again. "Good-fuckin'-bye," he spat before leaving the room in a hurry. A nurse stood at the doorway, watching him walk down the hallway in a fury. Doug sat speechless as Kate cried silently. She held her face, letting her shoulders heave, her throat was burning from the emotions she felt. Doug patted her leg gently.

"Jus' let him calm down, alright? He's been a real mess ever since he got locked up. An' then with you just leavin' like that… it's messed with him pretty bad, Kate. He was ready to marry you an' then I had to go tell him that you had packed up and left town. Talk about crazy. I've never seen him act that way. He punched out three guards, threw a chair through a window, screamin', cussin'. He spent 30 days in isolation because of it." She felt herself cry harder listening to the story and held her hands up.

"Please don't tell me anymore, Doug," she mumbled, opening her wet eyes to look at him. "I already feel horrible. It wasn't like it was my choice to leave. I didn't have a choice. My dad made me go. He monitored every single thing I did to ensure I never spoke to him again. He didn't even want me to represent this state. He wanted me as far away from Jem as possible."

"I tried ta tell him what happened. He didn't want to hear it." She shut her eyes and leaned back against the mattress. "I'm gonna let you rest and go try to calm his belligerent ass down, okay?" She gave him the tiniest of nods as he left the room to hunt down the wicked angry Irishman. He found Jem outside the hospital walking in circles puffing on a cigarette like a freight train. Puffs of smoke were flying out of his mouth. "What in the hell is goin' on with you?" Jem stopped in his place and threw the cigarette down to the ground.

"I can't believe her."

"Jem," Doug spoke quietly and grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "You know what you did wasn't right. I know how you are. Ya get angry about one little thing and suddenly you're pissed about everythin' else. You need to get up there and apologize. She needs you right now. Ya gonna let her sit up there unguarded an' shit?" He shook his head and looked up at the hospital building. "You go up there and be the man I know you are, Jem." He clapped his hands down on his shoulders and released. "I'm gonna get the fuck outta here though. I got work in a few hours. I'll talk to you later." Jem gave a stiff nod to Doug while he walked out to his car. He trudged back up the steps slowly and stood outside of her room, trying to find the words in his head that he could use to make everything alright between them. He wanted her to know that he still loved her. He didn't want to lose her. … That it was his fault for getting arrested. He wanted to tell her how often he thought of her. And how he had still had the picture of her from high school. So many things to say and not a place to start. His shoulders heaved as he sighed. He walked in the room to find her asleep. The nurse brought a finger to her lips.

"I just gave her some medicine to put her to sleep for a bit. She was pretty upset," the nurse breathed as she walked by Jem. His full something pull at his heart. She had been through a rough night and he had made it worse. He laid down on the couch by the window and drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up he felt every day of 29. He stretched his muscles and yawned loudly. The couch was uncomfortable and stiff. He almost felt like he was back Walpole. Kate was sitting up silently in bed, watching him, her eyes in a sort of daze. "You alright?" he asked through another yawn as he pulled his jacket back on.

"Yeah, they just gave me some more meds," she answered, still emotionless.

"Your accent's gone," he stated before sitting down at her side.

"That's what happens when you're gone for 10 years. Habits fade."

"I always thought it sounded hot comin' from you." The corners of her mouth moved slightly as she looked down at her hands. She lost the accent sometime in the middle of college. A lot of her professors told her if she was serious about pursuing a career in politics that her accent would have to go away. It took her almost a year to lose it.

"Anything you'd like to say?" she asked, bringing her face back to a serious gaze. Sorry was always the hardest words for him to say. The Jem she knew before Walpole struggled through it, but could eventually say. Jem rubbed his fingers over his ring before looking into her eyes. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry." The words stumbled out of his mouth like a foreign language. Kate almost wished she had a tape recorder on her to tape the words for future reference. "You have no idea what I went through in that place, Kate. You have no fuckin' idea." She ran a hand through her hair and leaned back. "Then, seein' you on t.v. It just hurt. You seemed so okay with what happened. It just pissed me off." She nodded and pulled the blanket up over her body farther.

"Thank you. I appreciate your apology. I know it's hard for you to say… I know how you are." She deeply curious about what he was going to do about Fergie. "What do you plan on doing about Fergie?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Planned on pretendin' like nothin' happened. I'll just act like I had no idea who did it and see what happens." She nodded and smoothed out the blanket nervously. There was a huge elephant in the room between them. They had things to talk about and it was going to get more awkward they pushed it away.

"I didn't leave you on purpose," she started, looking into his eyes. He stared at hers for a second and looked down at his feet. "You know that, right? It ate away at me every day. I just…" she felt her stomach tighten. "We're both in totally different places now. I can't be married to a guy who robs for a living."

"Didn't have an issue with that before," he spoke, looking up out of the hospital room into the hallway before looking into her eyes. He was getting annoyed again, but took a second to think before talking. It was a lot harder than it seemed. If there was one thing Jem wanted to be doing, it was anything besides having the conversation he is in the middle of having.

"Yeah, that was before I became a politician, Jem."

"How the fuck did you come about that? I thought you were all into helping people and wanted to do something in a hospital." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, no, daddy probably made this decision for you, right?"

"Jem. Shut up," she warned. "You can't be mad that my dad protected me, that's just foolish."

"Yeah, it's real fuckin' foolish to love someone and leave them. You knew exactly who and what I was when you got with me. Don't play any fuckin' games right now. You were all about it until I was sent off to prison."

"I had no idea when you were getting out, Jem. My dad heard the word prison and we were packed up to leave the next day. Doug came by to tell me and my dad shut the door in his face. I didn't know anything." He shook his head. "I wasn't going to wait around for you forever, Jem." She was angry that he didn't have the maturity to be civil about the conversation or situation. If he had truly loved her he would have let her go freely, knowing that was the best choice for her. Jem issues parting with things he claimed were his.

"That's what you're supposed to fuckin' do when you care about somebody, Kate. Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?"

"I hoped you were going to change eventually. I soon learned that had I not left I would have turned into the women you hate so much. The needy, pathetic, wasted, cracked out bitches that live in that piece of shit town."

"I'm not ever goin' ta change," he rumbled, rising to his feet to grab his jacket off of the couch.

"And that scares me a lot, Jem. I love you. I love you more than anything in this world, but you're just too dangerous." He turned to face her and pulled his jacket on.

"Yeah, I just saved your goddamn life and I am too dangerous. I get it." He pulled the chain and pendant off from around his neck and put it on the end of her bed. "Enjoy your fuckin' life," he spat before walking out of the room. She was angry. She picked the pendant up in her hands and laid it down on her lap as tears began to slide down her cheeks…


	4. Chapter 4: Criminals

Jem rolled out of bed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair when he watched the envelope shoot under his front door. His blue eyes tracked it, confused and intrigued, as it slid just a few feet across the floor. Adjusting the drawstring on his pants he walked over it pick up. He hardly ever received mail that way anymore unless it was a big job. Quickly ripping open the envelope he found a check for five thousand dollars with the words "rescue" written into the memo line. He scoffed and threw the envelope and check on top of the table next to his door. The fact that Kate had the audacity to send him money frustrated him. He debated what he would do with it: flush it down the toilet, throw it in the trash, light it on fire… he was willing to do anything if he could stop feeling for her. A knock came from his door. He opened it to find Doug standing before him, holding up the same check and envelope.

"You get one 'uh these?" Doug asked holding it up.

"Yeah," he answered, stepping back to let Doug in. "Fuckin' joke," he spat.

"It's damn good money," Doug said with a shock. He was surprised Jem was so angry about the money, but he knew the feelings were only related to the fact that it was from Kate. "Don't be fuckin' rude. She could have not sent us anything."

"Whateva'." He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. Doug took one from his hand and sat down at the small table Jem called a dining room table.

"You know, if we started doin' shit like this, we could quit the business."

"Quit the business? Yeah," he mocked leaning back in his chair before taking a long swig. "Dougie, I got some news for ya, that shit ain't gonna happen." Doug put his elbows on the table and leaned in. He was going to make Jem see his side of things one way or another. He was tired of fighting for ways to keep himself alive all of the time.

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me?" He held the check up and shook it. "We just made five thousand dollars actually doin' somethin' good. I wanna quit doin' this shit eventually, man. I'd like to have a family. I'd like to have a son."

"Yeah, sure. That's what we all want, a bunch 'uh fuckin' needy kids runnin' around. That's a life."

"Shut the hell up."

"Nah, I'm serious. We're criminals, Doug, not fuckin' family men." Doug's brow dropped as Jem talked.

"Ya know that you need my help with jobs, Jem." Jem shook his head and ran his hands over the tops of his legs. He was trying to discount what he best friend was saying. Jem never imagined he'd ever be a father. His sister had a daughter, but he only got to see her every once in a while and even then, he couldn't stand to be around her for more than 10 minutes.

"What are you sayin', Doug? You gonna suck me into this bullshit business by tellin' me that you won't go on jobs with me anymore?"

"You like money just as much as I do, you stubborn fuck." Jem listened quietly as to what Doug said. He did like money and couldn't resist a big score. Beating and killing people was a specialty of his. Even he couldn't deny he'd be perfect for the job.

"You wanna become a bodyguard? This is what you're sayin'?" Doug nodded and put his hands behind his head. Jem mulled it over in his mind. Doug was his brother. He would do anything for him. He killed for him and lost the one person he cared about for him. The pay would be better, but what in the hell would he do with Fergie? He never took the old man as a threat, but he couldn't be too sure. "What about Fergie?" he asked plainly. Doug shook his head and put his hand up to his forehead. He released his hand and looked angrily up at Jem.

"Fuck that senial old fuck," he growled. "I'm gonna start livin' my life under my fuckin' terms. Been doin' this far too long. We're smarter, younger, and do a lot more work than he does. Sittin' around cuttin' flowers an' shit. I'll beat his ass into this grave if he says a word." Jem nodded at Doug with a smile.

"I know what the hell you mean, man. I don't know why I've been lettin' some cock sucka' armed with roses boss me the fuck around."

"We'll handle this shit."

"Fuckin' yes," he stated.

Months passed and it slowly turned into autumn. Leaves fell outside of Kate's window as she typed quickly on her computer to answer an e-mail a fellow politician had sent her regarding a new policy schools were trying to pass regarding metal detectors at school. Thunder rattled the room, lightning sparking outside, causing a reflection to bounce off something on her desk. Her eyes diverted to the pendant she had once given Jem. She stopped typing for a moment and stared at it as if it had spoken to her. The memory sank in quickly…

"What the fuck did you get me? You shouldn't have bought me a damn thing," Jem spat as Kate walked around from behind him.

"Jem, will you just shut up?" she asked stopping in front of him. He was always so full of pride. He couldn't even accept a simple gift, always wanting to do everything on his own. He was afraid of what the guys would say if he told them Kate had bought him a gift. As far as he was concerned men in his line of work didn't deserve gifts. "I bought you a gift an' you're gonna like it an' you're gonna wear it for the rest of your life… so help you fuckin' God," she joked pulling a box out from behind her. He smirked and put his arm on the back of the couch.

"I at least get sex after this, right?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as he took the box. She slapped him on the arm and sat down next to him, pulling his arm around her shoulders.

"Fuckin' pig," she teased. He smiled at her before looking at the box then back at her.

"What is it?"

"I don't remember," she answered sweetly.

"Uh-huh," he mumbled before using one hand to pull the green bow off of the box. He opened the black box. His blue eyes grew in length as he stared a silver chain and cross pendant. "Kate, you shouldn't have done this…"

"Jem, I'm serious, you better shut up." He held the box in his lap, staring at the reflections on it from the lights in the room. It was the first gift he had received in years, seeing as how he pretty much lived on his own and didn't have any family that cared enough to buy him anything. Kate was the first person to give him an actual gift. His heart grew at the thought of her fussing over what he would want, buying it, and wrapping it. "Do you like it?"

"I fuckin' love it. Thank you," he answered with a kiss.

"I'll put it on for you," she beamed, rising to clasp it around his neck.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she thought about the joke she had made. He had never taken the chain off. She was snapped into time someone knocked on her door. The sound caused her to jump. She wasn't entirely comfortable with people knocking on her door considering the incident at her hotel. She picked her cell phone up off the table for protection and sat the pendant down for heading to the door. Her eyes peeked carefully out of the peep hole to make sure that it was no one intending to do harm. A wild smile grew on her lips when she saw the face waiting for her. It was Liam Kelly, the Captain of the Boston Police. The man she had been dating for the last couple of months. She opened the door quickly. "Hello," he beamed as his eyes landed on her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile. She hadn't seen him in a few weeks what with his duties and her going to various meetings and speeches.

"Just answered a call from around the corner, thought I'd stop by." She smiled and stared at his hazel eyes, his dark hair poking out from under his hat. She lost track of how long she was staring at him when he cleared his throat. "I don't have a warrant, so you want to invite me in?" he asked teasingly. She smiled and nodded, her face flushing.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." She held the door open farther and led him inside. He pulled his hat off and pulled his wet jacket off to hang up on a peg just next to the door. She wasted no time wrapping her body around his. "I've missed you," she mumbled burying herself into his chest. He held onto her and kissed the top of her head.

"I've missed you, too. I'm sorry I've been so lately." She breathed in the scent of his cologne and smiled.

"It's alright. I haven't been as free as I should have been the last week." He pulled her chin up to kiss her softly. Her job kept her busy a lot of the time. There was always something to do, it almost felt never ending to her. They hugged again when her phone rang from her pocket. She answered it immediately. "Hello?" she answered walking over to sit on the couch. Liam followed her.

"Kate?" asked a voice.

"Yes," she replied as Liam leaned in to kiss her neck. She fought the urge to giggle and smiled at him, wagging a finger in his direction.

"There's a ceremony down at one of the Charlestown elementary schools and our speaker just cancelled due to a flu bug. Do you think you could be at Franklin Elementary School in an hour to give a speech about how we plan to help that school succeed?"

"Sure." Liam looked her over slowly, pushing hair from her face. Her eyes connected with his and she mouth a sorry. "Anything important I need to know?"

"Just that we're incorporating some new tutors and new material. There will be a list of notes in the limo that comes to pick you up."

"Alright, thank you." She hung up the phone and looked at him longingly. It was the first time she had an afternoon off in a few days and yet she was off to work again. She felt defeated as she curled up next to him, tucking her head under his chin. When she was next to him she felt safe and free. It was almost the exact same feeling she had once had with Jem. Not exact, but pretty damn close. For her, it was nice he was half as busy as she was a majority of the time so she didn't feel guilty about not being able to see him.

"Let me guess…" he started, putting an arm around her.

"Duty calls."

"Ay," he responded, rubbing her back slowly.

"Think they'd let me give a speech from the couch like this?" she asked jokingly. He chuckled for a minute and kissed her forehead.

"Doubtful." She sighed loudly and pulled herself up out of the couch. "I should get goin' though. Got some reports to fill out." She followed behind him, holding onto his waist as they walked. "I'll call ya tomorrow," he spoke, kissing her cheek.

"Bye," she called out as he walked down the sidewalk to his squad car. She shut the door and made a point to lock it before heading up the stairs to get ready.

The auditorium at the school was stuffy. The air was thick, because the air conditioning didn't work and the rain outside made it muggy on the inside. Kate tried her hardest not to fidget as she sat in the folding chair, it felt like every piece of clothing she was wearing was sticking to her body. She brushed her bangs out of her face and tried to smile as the principal spoke to introduce her. The media sat in the back behind parents, students, and teachers. They were waiting to hear from the infamous Katherine Faust, the new politician who causing such a big stir in Charlestown. She rose as the principal called her name, taking the podium with ease. "Thank you, Principal….ma'am," she began, completely spacing the principal's name. She cursed herself on the inside and smiled genuinely at the crowd. "As we know, Franklin Elementary School didn't do so well this last year. We're going to make a great turn around this year." She adjusted the index cards in her hand. "We plan on incorporating new tutors, materials, books, supplies, and activities to help the students achieve their potential." A few parents and teachers clapped. Kate was surprised. Most people in Charlestown didn't care for their education and Kate understood that most of them were planning on inheriting the "family business" of prostitution, drug dealing, stripping, or robbing. It wasn't her job to make that aware though. She took a good look around the room after asking if anyone had any questions. There was a heavily, awkward silence as no one raised their hands. Finally, a hand shot up. "Yes," she called out pointing to a hand in the back row.

"Aren't you that bitch that proposed harsher laws on criminals who live in Charlestown?" asked the voice in a rough manner. She swallowed hard and stared out into the crowd then back at the man.

"Yes."

"What the fuck are you doin' out here?" asked another voice angrily.

"Yeah, fuck this bitch," yelled a man from the front row.

"My brother was deployed to Afghanistan, because of this cunt," yelled another voice. Kate held her hands up, her brow, neck, and chest beading with sweat. Taking on the people of Charlestown was a big mistake. She knew better than take them on like this, because they would rip her a part. She backed away from the podium slowly as more people stood to yell out comments. The principal rose to take the podium again when a gun rose from the middle of the auditorium. There was a lot of screaming and shuffling. A man stood up with the gun and pointed it up to the ceiling.

"I say we give her some pay back," he screamed. Her eyes grew. She didn't think it could be happening to her again. With a lot of courage, she dropped to the floor as gunshots rang out. Her hands covered her neck as a few more shots rang out. The shots stopped, but people kept moving, running out of the auditorium.

"Fuckin' degenerates," yelled out a police officer as he put his gun back into his holster. He walked over and helped Kate stand up, before assisting other teachers rise to their feet. Her eyes scanned the seats to find a dead body slumped over a few chairs, bloodied. "I've radioed Captain Kelly, ma'am," he told her sternly as he rescanned the empty auditorium as if at any moment someone else would start firing. Liam was going to be there at any minute. She sat down on the chair and held her head in her hands. He showed up about 10 minutes later with a full squad and coroner. He immediately found out Kate and comforted her. Her body rolled into his in a hug.

"Are you alright?" he asked looking deep into her green eyes. She nodded slightly, considering the amount of times she had been kidnapped and at gunpoint before, it was beginning to become pretty regular and less scary each time. Liam kissed her cheek before giving her a tight squeeze. "I want you to hire another bodyguard." Kate started to open her mouth and explain about Brian for the hundredth time when he put a finger to her mouth.

"What about you?" she asked sweetly, clutching the back of his uniform. It caused him to laugh. He would take the position if he could, but he knew he was needed to help keep the streets clean. There was not too big of a need for him to follow her around for hours on end just for face value in case someone tried to do something.

"No, Kate, ya know I can't," he answered. "But, I have a pretty good idea of who we need…"


	5. Chapter 5: Miss Daisy

Kate stood in front of her home, staring at her watch, the clock was nearing three o'clock and her new "bodyguards" still hadn't showed up yet. There was an important meeting she was supposed to be at in fifteen minutes and the traffic in Boston was never exactly friendly, especially if you're in a hurry. She tapped her high heel against the pavement rapidly feeling her nerves begin to rattle. Being a new politician was hard enough for her to deal with, now she was going to be late? Her hand nervously searched her large purse for her cell phone when a horn honked in the street. She peered up behind her eyeglasses to find a black town car had pulled up. The drivers inside gave a small wave in her direction. She pulled herself together while trying to make out the faces in the car, and approached the car with speed. Any amount of speed walking was going to help her in this situation, at least that's what she thought. As soon as her backside touched the seat, the men turned around to face her. "Oh, fuck," she cursed looking into the eyes of the infamous Jem and Doug.

"Oh, fuck, no," Jem repeated in a harsher tone. "The fuck is this, Doug?" he threw a finger back to her and pulled his sunglasses off. "Get tha fuck out," he barked, throwing another finger outside of the car. Kate balked at him with a smirk and slammed her purse down on the backseat. His anger grew out of control, Doug didn't mention that they were going to be guarding Kate. Jem knew he had purposefully left her name out to get him to accept the job. Two thousand dollars a week for each of them and a bonus of five hundred for each private event, anonymous hire, he recited in his head.

"I think I'm the brains behind this shit, Jem," Doug said calmly, pulling his sunglasses off. "Now fuckin' drive or I'll cut your goddamn pay in half." Jem's jaw locked and flexed as he looked his supposed best friend. He pulled slowly away from the curb, cussing under his breath, before he slammed on the gas pedal. Doug let out a long stretch of air before turning to face Kate as Jem drove. "Hi Kate," he stated with a big smile. His personality and demeanor took a complete 180 degree turn. "How are ya?" She smirked at him and straightened out her pencil skirt as they drifted around a corner.

"Just fine. How are you, Doug?" If she could ever be thankful for one thing, it was how noble Doug was and how much he tried to bring out the good in Jem regardless of the belligerent fireball he was.

"Pretty damn good. Your boyfriend called us an' said you were havin' some issues with tha people in Charlestown." Jem's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

"Fuckin' boyfriend?" he yelled, flashing another fierce glance to Doug. "You wanna have this conversation right fuckin' now, dumb shit, I am drivin' an' I am one pissed off Irish motha' fucka'."

"Jem!" yelled Doug loudly, inches from his face. "I'll deal with your dumb ass lata' now shut the fuck up an' drive." Jem's fists balled up tightly as he drove the wheel. Kate watched his neck turn a brilliant shade of red around his fighting Irish tattoo from the backseat as he drove quickly through the small streets of Boston. He swerved in and out of cars with the speed of an Indy car driver. His foot slammed on the brakes as they came to a stop at a stoplight, causing Doug to almost crash his head into the dashboard. "I'm gonna break your fuckin' face, Jem," Doug warned as he leaned back and put his seatbelt on. "The only action you'll be gettin' is with a paper bag on your head."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," he mumbled as he popped a cigarette in his mouth, lighting it quickly.

"Oh, actually, I can't be around smokers before a speech," Kate piped up with a fake cheerleader smile. She was trying to get a rise out of him, just for sheer pleasure. It was twisted, but she wanted to make him feel the pain she had that night in the hospital. She wanted him to suffer. Doug eyed Kate then put his eyes on Jem.

"Jem, put that shit out, man."

"My fuckin' pleasure," he growled, cracking the window while he glowered at Kate. "You're a heartless bitch, ya know that?" he asked, tossing the cigarette out of the window. She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in the seat. "You an' I, Doug, we are gonna have a very serious conversation about your fuckin' snake bullshit." Doug just nodded and stared out of the window, watching the buildings fly by as they took off again. They pulled up outside of the city county building in record time. Kate still had five minutes to make it up the stairs and get into the meeting. It blew her mind considering how late they had left her townhouse.

"Stay here," ordered Doug. He was annoyed with Jem's behavior. More annoyed than he usually was. This wasn't some fight on the street or some cheap little job to knock over a gas station, this was a real job. So many clients would be watching and Liam had hired them personally, he needed Jem to put his best foot forward. "Put tha four ways on an' wait 'til we're done."

"What-the-fuck-eva'," he snapped, turning the radio up in the car. Doug shut the door as quietly as his anger permitted him before tugging on his black blazer and opening the front door for Kate. She smiled and thanked him, side stepping him as she walked past him. In elevator, it was deathly quiet. Kate fidgeted with her watch a few times, catching a few side glances at Doug.

"He been okay?" she asked casually, looking up at him. She already knew the answer, but she needed something to calm her nerves in the middle of the silence. He raised his eyebrows, his mouth dropping into a frown.

"Nah, not really." He pulled his sunglasses off and looked at her. Doug's mind tried to process what to say to her. She raised her eyebrows, almost as if she was hoping he would say more, but he went against it. He had respect for her and didn't want her focused on Jem her entire meeting. "I won't tell ya anymore." He refocused his eyes on the shiny elevator door before them and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Thanks," she breathed in shock as the door opened. She had to put her game face on and quit worrying about Jem. He was acting like a child and as far as she was concerned, she could play that game, too. Her mind twisted in circles trying to remember if she ever told Liam about her relationship with the famous, rowdy Irish thug. She never recalled telling him or him asking about her tattoo. A woman greeted them as they stepped off of the elevator. Kate tried to push him as far out of her mind as possible as the woman shook her hand and led them to a long conference hall.

After an hour, the meeting had finally ended. It was a bunch of bullshit in Doug's opinion. He cursed himself a few times for not paying attention on social studies or any class for that matter. He felt like a major tool in the room, listening to them talk about ideas, numbers, and use big words like destitute and culpable. They left the meeting with Kate in a big cheery mood, smiling broadly as they walked towards the elevator. "The fuck was all that about?" Doug asked as the elevator closed on them. His brain was still spinning trying to make sense of everything.

"Just a quick meeting to summarize my next bill." She adjusted her purse and squinted up at him, trying to understand why he was so interested all of the sudden. It was no offense to Doug, but she had never taken him as the political type.

"Uh-huh and what's that? More shit ta cause everyone ta hate your ass more than they do?" he asked honestly. She knew the bills were causing some issues, but it was for the town's own good.

"This is a new bill regarding the sentencing of repeated convicts in Charlestown." He stared up at the digital numbers on the elevator as the descended. "It's going to increase jail time or make them undergo mandatory community service for a year." Doug scoffed and turned to face her.

"I gotta be honest with ya, Kate. Not one motha' fucka' in Charlestown is gonna do community service."

"They do it or they get more jail time. Plain and simple."

"I don' know…" The bell rang as the elevator car landed on the first floor. They walked out onto the main floor and looked at each other. "You eva' think that maybe you might be takin' this a little fah?" She looked over his face and he gestured back towards Jem. "I know you're tryin' to effect men like him. You think you can change him inta somethin' brilliant an' shit." She dropped her head down and stared at the tips of her shoes. Doug always had insight into everyone. It was almost too bad he wasn't smart enough to be a therapist. "Ya want him ta change. I do, too, Kate," he spoke calmly recounting all of the times he's stopped Jem or yelled at him for taking his anger to another level. "I wanna see him take charge an' have a normal life, ya know?"

"That's all I want, too, Doug." She looked up from her shoes and stared into his brown eyes. She prayed every night that he would change. She wanted a family life with him. She wanted everything to do with him, but she knew it would never happen with his attitude and job choice. "At least you've put him in a new line of work." They walked out the door together to the car to find Jem leaning against the town car smoking a cigarette. He flicked it out towards the street as they approached and started walking around to the driver's door.

"Jem," Doug barked. He froze in his tracks. Doug shook his head. "Open tha fuckin' door for Kate, Jem. Seriously? Who tha fuck raised you?" He turned on his heel, his face twisted with a new anger. It had finally subsided from his last explosion and now it was slowly returning.

"Fuckin' sure," he mumbled, opening the door with a huff. Kate nodded at him as he looked into her eyes. He only held eye contact with her for a second before looking away quickly and walking back off around the car.

"Thank you, Doug," she whispered. Doug patted her shoulder. He was going to turn them both around one way or another. The guilt from being the one who made the relationship fall apart was driving him to fix their relationship. Kate climbed into the car slowly, as Jem and Doug did. She sat silently for a few moments while Jem pulled out and lit another cigarette.

"Where the fuck are we headed now, Miss Daisy?" Jem asked, turning to face her.


	6. Chapter 6: Bench

**Author's Note: I am trying to update every weekend. I apologize for the last couple of weeks. I have been going through a lot. I just took my nursing admittance exam to get into my college's nursing program so that has sucked up about 90% of my time. Haha. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. :) I don't plan on making this story too long. For those of you who have "Renneritis" (Baconalia ;) ) I am working on "Unacceptable" too. 3 you guys! Thanks for reviewing and following my story! (P.S. I promise I will have more romance between Jem and Kate soon! :D )**

The pub was filled from wall to wall with drunken people from Charlestown. Jem plopped down beside Doug at a table in the corner. Doug took a sip of his drink and looked over to see Jem take a long drink from his beer. They were both still wearing their suits, Jem was disheveled with his tie tucked into a jacket pocket, the top 3 buttons wide open. Doug looked the exact same, the vodka had worked itself into his system and was feeling. He was drunk for the first time in a long while. "You're a fuckin' snake," he muttered to Doug, leaning forward on his elbows. Doug's eyebrow raised as he looked at his brother. "Trickin' me into this job. Fuckin' brilliant."

"The pay's good, why you so upset?" Doug slurred. Jem shook his head with a smirk.

"Really Dougie? You wanna play this game right now? You know why I'm upset."

"Get over it, Jem. She's moved on." His eyes dropped for a second in reaction to Doug's words. He felt his breathing falter for a second as he drank again, staring into his best friend's eyes. Doug stared back with all seriousness as he waited for the storm. Jem finally broke eye contact and shifted to look out into the bar. His eyes tracked a couple laugh as they headed for the door, wrapped up in each other. It took all control for him to sit the bottle back down onto the table without slamming it down. "I mean, you didn't have any problems until you heard she was back. What's the difference?" He scoffed and turned in his chair to face Doug with a snap.

"The difference is that I waited for her. Every fuckin' day in that hell hole."

"You seemed like you were really waitin' up puttin' your cock in everything that moved the day you got outta Walpole." Jem's jaw tightened as he listened the words. He had never been so ready to have a woman in his life after his last day in prison. "She moved on, Jem. It's time to grow up. Quit playin' games like we're in high school. Let's just make our money an' move on." Doug watched a defeated Jem turn back in his chair. Even drunk, Doug knew it was a shit thing to say to his best friend. He knew Jem needed to hear it, as much as he wanted to see them back together, he knew Kate was happy where she was. He put a hand on Jem's shoulder and patted him hard. Doug could see the emotional change in his friend's face, the anger being replaced with something more serene. He didn't dare say a word about it considering the experience he had in trying to get Jem to convey other emotions besides anger.

"I think I'm gonna go, Doug," Jem whispered, pulling himself out of his chair. He wanted to be alone with himself for a while to think about things and he sure as hell couldn't do that with all of the happy souls around him.

"Nah, man, I-I didn't mean that-" Doug started, realizing what he had said. Jem put his hand up and made his way out of the pub and into the streets. He breathed in deeply and let his feet carry him out to the streets. The air filled his lungs as he looked up to the black sky, feeling something he wasn't entirely used to. His hands shoved themselves into his pockets, walking leisurely to a place he hadn't been in years. Jem stopped at the edge of a small flower bed with a bench in the middle. His memory placed him sitting there with Kate, curled up on the bench, kissing and cuddling… He slammed his eyes shut and walked over to the bench, touching the wood with his hand. The grain was cold and smooth, just as he remembered it. Before taking another second to think he sat on the bench hard, hunched over, hands combing through his hair. Taking a deep breath his memory sucked him right back in…

"Don't, Jem," Kate giggled, pushing her hand up on his shoulder as he leaned in to kiss her neck, her hair falling over her shoulder. His teeth barely nipped at her skin.

"What?" he purred with a cheeky grin.

"Not out here…" she insisted, rolling her hand to the outside world. He was completely obvious to it, wrapped around her, breathing in her scent.

"Like people are watchin'," he added, motioning to people bustling down the sidewalk. No one walking past had given the two love-struck teenagers on the bench a second glance. Jem leaned back in to kiss her and she faltered, kissing him back eagerly. He pulled her in closer and kissed her harder, wrapping his arms around her waist. She backed away for a second and smiled at him.

"Jem, what do you plan on doing with your life?" she asked curiously scrunching her nose up at him. He smiled, his eyes scanning the road to the right of them, trying to focus on anything else to be serious with her.

"Uh… I honestly don't know, Kate. Maybe gravel and shit like Doug."

"Gravel and shit?" He smiled looking over her face as her eyebrows pulled together in an awkward way while she said the word shit.

"Ya know, doing stuff, like Doug, breaking down rocks, the occasional robbery."

"You're going to keep being a criminal?" she asked shockingly.

"It's my life, Kate. Passed down from my father and his father… I can't just throw that out."

"Yes, you can." He hung his head for a minute, he knew this conversation was coming and yet he couldn't find a way to stop it. "It's not like my parents don't have a lot of money or anything."

"You know I don't like handouts."

"It isn't a handout," she corrected, pulling herself out of his arms.

"Yes, it is." He watched as she folded her arms and leaned back into the bench.

"Okay, princess, and what do you plan on doing? Living off daddy forever?" She shook her head and squinted at him.

"I plan on becoming a politician, thank you."

"Politician?" he recited, the word coming out in a fumble.

"Yes," she quipped.

"Why not a doctor or some shit like that?"

"You know how I am with blood," Kate answered, turning to look at him again. "But, thanks for mentioning that whole 'princess' bit right there. I appreciate it." Her face had turned sour. He brought his arm onto the back on the bench and turned to face her.

"I'm sorry, Kate." He didn't say much more, considering she knew how he was. Brash, honest, and quick to anger. She loved his honesty, but his brash side drove her crazy at times.

"You really wanna rob the rest of your life?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I ain't good at anything else," he answered with another smile, presenting the scenery to her.

"Would you be willing to tone it down a bit?"

"If that's what you want." She nodded and her eyes lit up a bit more. "Done." She smiled and wrapped her arms back around him, pulling him in again.

Present day Jem rubbed the back of his neck vigorously and felt a surge of tears try to make their way into his eyes. It wasn't much longer after that day that he was arrested for murder. "So much for toning it down," he muttered. He swallowed hard and pushed the tears back down, looking at the stems of the flowers around him. She was always too good for him and he knew it. His time was over with her and it was time he realized it. He was never going to change. There was never going to be a moment for him to redeem himself in her eyes. She would always be the light in his life that he just couldn't have. He brought his right hand to his lips, kissed three of his fingers and tapped the bench before getting up to walk away.

Weeks passed by without incident. Jem had come to respect his place in Kate's service, not speaking unless spoken to and keeping his comments to himself. It wasn't perfect, Jem had slipped a couple of times, but not in a major way.

Jem and Doug stood like statues in front of a table where Kate was seated, passing out paper bags of food at a food pantry. They each scanned the line of 30 people or so multiple times, constantly checking out what people were holding or searching for. Kate smiled and handed another bag up to a small, elderly woman when Jem turned ever so slightly to watch her. She had on a white turtleneck with black pinstriped pants, her hair halfway pulled back to show off her face. He watched the corners of her mouth turn up when her eyes met his. He turned around quickly, staring back out into the line. Kate adjusted herself in her seat and called for the next recipient to step forward. She had worked hard for the last few weeks to raise funding for the food pantries in the Charlestown area. She was hoping it was going to pay off and that they would finally begin to respect her.

"Hi," she greeted with a wide smile, holding her hand out to the man. The man fumbled a bit, his clothes smelled of body odor and alcohol. He put his dirty hand in hers and shook it slightly. "How many are you in your home?" she asked sweetly, pulling a few paper bags over to her.

"Two," he mumbled, staring at the ground. She reached down and pulled the bags up to set them on the table when the man grabbed her wrist, wrenching her arm to pull her over the table. She shrieked and looked at the man, fear overloading her senses. Jem sprung from his position and put his hands on the man's shoulders and free hand. Doug kept his eyes on the crowd. A few people in line began to mutter and stir looking up to see the commotion. The man dug his nails into Kate's skin, applying as much pressure as humanly possible. "Would have been four if you wouldn't have passed that fuckin' law," he muttered, tears rimming his eyes. Jem's jaw locked into place, a vein bulging in his forehead. He tightened his grip on the man and leaned in.

"Let her go," he rasped, his hands gripping even harder. Kate breathed in short, fast breaths as she looked between the man and Jem. "I've got a fuckin' gun. Unless you wanna leave with a chest full of bullets, I suggest you let her the fuck go." The man slowly released Kate's wrist and stared over at Jem before walking away.

"The fuck was that about?" Doug asked Jem. Jem shrugged and kept his eyes on the man as he walked across the parking lot. Kate rubbed her hand over the wrist, staring up at the line and Jem. Jem returned to his stance as Kate called the next person forward with less enthusiasm as she had before. "You gonna be alright?" Doug asked Kate as a young woman and her daughter stepped up to the table.

"I'll be fine," she answered with a wave of her hand. "Just might be a little bruised."

The line finally ended and the bags were gone. Kate hunched over in the chair and held her face in her hands. Jem and Doug stood closely behind her, unsure of what to say or do. "You okay?" Doug asked. She nodded and sniffed, running her fingers under her eyes to catch any runny mascara. All she wanted to do was help people and make them better. Not one person thanked her graciously or smiled at her, aside from a couple of older ladies. She was beginning to feel worn down and she hadn't even been in office a full year yet.

"I'll be fine." Jem and Doug stopped just short of her and smiled down at her.

"Don't give me that shit, Kate." She pushed a piece of hair out of her face, staring into Doug's face. He was always so easy to talk to.

"I'm horrible at this, Doug," she explained, trying not to whine. Jem crossed his arms and stared at her. He was attempting to be as open as possible. He laughed slightly and looked at Jem.

"Jem, do you know of any person that's been easy to get along with Charlestown?" Jem shook his head and looked over at his best friend. Doug had a big silly smile on his face. "Kate, you're doin' jus' fine. Ya can't expect this people to accept ya right away. We're proud motha' fuckas in here. Ain't that right, Jem?" Jem nodded.

"The proudest," he replied, looking into her glassy eyes. She looked so frail and vulnerable. As much as he wanted to hate her in that moment, he was defenseless to her. "I think we both know something that'll help you out," Jem said looking to Doug. Doug smiled and helped Kate up out of the chair.

They walked together through the darkening streets of Charlestown, stopping just short of a small pub facing out towards the interstate. It was the same pub Jem and Doug frequented often. Kate had went there on occasion with Jem when they had been dating. She smiled at them as they led her inside. It was only seven at night, but the pub was already filling up fast. They grabbed a few stools at the bar and sat beside each other, Kate in the middle. "Get whateva' ya want," Doug muttered. "That goes ta both of ya." Kate ordered a vodka and cranberry while Doug and Jem both ordered a beer. "Tha fuck?" Doug asked picking up her glass. "Hard liquor?"

"Is there a problem with that?" she asked taking it out of his hand.

"Nah, I just remember the girl that could barely suck down a wine cooler without stumbling." Jem laughed at Doug's comment and held his beer in front of his face. She turned on her stool to look at him. He coughed when he noticed her glare.

"What's so funny, Jem?" she asked putting her glass down on the counter.

"Doug, he just…" he started laughing again and sat his beer down beside her glass.

"I can handle my liquor fairly well, thank you," she stated looking between the two of them. Doug smiled at her and nodded.

"I'm sure you can."

"I can and I'll show you." She slapped one of her hands down on the counter, motioning for the bartender. "Get us three shots of Patron," she ordered. Doug and Jem's eyes met behind her. They were both equally shocked. The bartender laid out three shot glasses and filled them up. "Pick 'em up, ladies," she purred, taking hers into her hand. "To old friends," she toasted, holding her glass out for them to hit. Their glasses touched and each of them threw the alcohol into their mouths. Kate winced slightly, but resisted the urge to grab for her drink to chase it down. Doug made a noise and they all put their glasses down. "More!" she ordered, making the bartender fill their glasses up again.


	7. Chapter 7: FuckUp

**I know this is a little later than when I usually update. And those of you following "Unacceptable"… I haven't forgotten that fan fic! It's been really busy around here. I passed my nursing exam. ;) Promise to update Unacceptable within the next week. Just been trying to decide where I want to take that story line. Anyway… here we are… romance coming soon. ;)**

"You're drunk as fuck," Jem spoke to Kate, trying to make himself over the music and the other people in the bar. She smiled wildly and shook a finger at him.

"Am not," she slurred. Doug had left them to talk with a girl on the other side of the bar, leaving Jem to babysit. "Nine shots and don't even feel it!"

"Uh huh," he mocked while lighting a cigarette.

"Can't believe you still do that." She slumped against the bar, holding herself up with just her elbow. He took a long drag off of the cigarette and looked over at her.

"I still do a lot of things." He blew the smoke from his lungs out of his mouth, feeling the heat leave his chest. "Wear the same clothes, go to tha same bar, hang out with tha same friends…"

"It's nice though. I don't have any of the same things." She pouted slightly and took another drink from her glass.

"An' what are me an' Doug?" he asked with a smile. "We don't count?" She smirked slightly and bumped into him with her shoulder. "Because, I'm pretty sure we're still tha same."

"Hush, you know what I meant." He laughed and bumped back into her. They both looked across the bar at Doug to find him kissing the blonde he had been talking up. "Hope he lets her come up for air soon." Jem laughed again and pounded his cigarette out in the tray on the counter. "You find yourself a girl, yet?" she asked casually, leaning back on the bar.

"Nah," he answered.

"Why?"

"Don't really have tha time an' I ain't found one I can really stand bein' around." She nodded with a smile. He always so awkward when they were dating, mainly because he just wasn't used to being that way. She imagined him showing up at the door with flowers, looking disheveled and anxious, afraid people would see the infamous Jem actually being sweet.

"Sure it isn't the other way around?" she asked, teasingly. He smirked and looked down at her.

"Ya better watch yourself." She gave a small laugh. "What about that boyfriend of yours? He treat ya okay?"

"Really well actually, he is really great. He takes good care of me and is always making sure I'm alright."

"Good, I don't feel like puttin' tha hurt on the chief of police," Jem quipped as he drank his beer.

"Wouldn't ask you to anyway, Jem. I don't want to see you go back to prison and I'm pretty sure that would earn you a first class ticket back to a cell in Walpole."

"I don't give a shit. Ya don't deserve one of these assholes treatin' ya like that." They sat silently for a few minutes, drinking, looking around the bar at the other drunken people talking and dancing with each other.

"I've got to ask you, if you could go back and stop what you did, would you?" He sat quietly thinking about her question before answering. His eyes searched into hers, the neon lights from around the walls reflecting various colors off of them.

"Knowin' how my life is now, yes. I always thought that you were gonna be there the day I got out, that ya would have came an' visited me or at least sent me a letter. If I would have known your dad was gonna take ya away like that…" He shook his head and looked back across the room at Doug. "I wouldn't have pulled that trigger that day."

"I wish you hadn't." Her lip turned into a frown. He shook his finger at her and leaned in.

"Ya got tha life ya always wanted, Kate. Think about tha life ya would 'ave had with me. Never home, out gettin' inta shit all tha time, leavin' ya home worried an' stressed takin' care of kids… not really a life."

"I would have been with you." He looked down at the floor for a minute, feeling his chest ache a bit. Older feelings of guilt and the pain from not being near her almost pulled him to the floor.

"Kate…" he started to talk softly when she held her hand up.

"If we start talking about this I am going to cry. And I don't want to start crying in front of these people. I just want to go home."

"Let me just go get Doug." Jem patted her shoulder and slithered through people to Doug. Doug had his face buried in the blonde's neck, he was smiling at Jem from over her shoulder as he approached. "Hey, Kate's ready to go. If ya want, I'll jus' run her back, ain't no big deal. Ya can stay here."

"Thanks, man," Doug called back turning himself back into the girl. Jem nodded and turned on his heel, rubbing the back of his neck. When he returned he found another body on his stool seated next to Kate. Fergie. His face flushed as he watched Fergie smile wickedly at Kate. She had backed herself almost completely against the person sitting behind her, turned to face Fergie head on.

"Tha fuck are ya doin' here?" Jem asked stepping up beside Kate, putting an arm tightly around her waist. She practically did everything, but climb onto him like a koala bear on a tree to get off of the stool and away from Fergie.

"Jus' stoppin' by for a good ol' drink on my way home. I see you two are gettin' rather cozy again," Fergie answered, motioning towards Kate hand tightly holding Jem's.

"This ain't nothin'" Jem spat back, breaking his hand out of hers.

"Got a good job comin' up here soon I think you an' Doug would be rather proud ta be apart of it."

"He's got a job and it's a damn good one," Kate piped up, her drunken anger getting the best of her. Her pride for Jem and the way she felt about him mixed in with the alcohol made her lose all common sense.

"Keep ya mouth closed, bitch," Fergie growled. "I wasn't talkin' ta you." He tapped his chin and looked between the two of them. Kate bit her lip and swallowed her anger for a second as Jem gripped her forearm tightly.

"Anything else?" Jem questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"Who ya been workin' for in that suit? I don't know many places where suits are required that would hire a fuck up like you."

"Me," Kate spat, taking a short step forward. "And he's not a fuck up. He's brilliant at what he does." Jem grabbed onto Kate's shoulders and shoved her behind him, turning his back to Fergie.

"Keep ya fuckin' mouth shut. Are ya kiddin' me? I've heard of liquid courage an' shit before, but this is Fergie, Kate. He could fuckin' destroy anything he wants to. Now shut the hell up," he growled, turning back around. Jem rubbed the back of his neck again and shifted on his feet, looking up into Fergie's eyes. They almost seemed to glow with hatred. He had a sinister smile on his face as he looked back at Jem. It was the first time Jem could remember being uncomfortable since his first shower in prison.

"You an' Doug are workin' for that cunt?" Jem gave a subtle nod of his head, looking over to see Doug smiling and laughing without a care in the world. Fergie followed his eyes and smiled wider. "You two better watch ya asses, if ya know what's good for ya. That pretty little green eyed girl of yours better, too." Anger swelled in his throat as he heard the words.

"I understand. We're gonna go now, alright?" He looked at Fergie, monitoring his movements, ready to do whatever necessary if he pulled out a gun.

"Sure. Just keep your gun loaded," Fergie warned with a wink of his eye. Jem turned quickly and pulled Kate behind him to the door. He breathed in and out quickly as they hit the outside air. She stood on the sidewalk watching Jem pace back and forth.

"Fuck," he muttered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

"What's the big deal? Some old man threatens you and-"

"Kate," he cut her off and stood in front of her. "He's trained all of us. You know that. He doesn't play around. He's got plently of boys in his pocket ready to release on command. I don't even know how many he's got now." She dropped her head to look at her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "He's gonna be on our asses now. He's gonna do everything he can to ensure something happens to any one of us."

"I don't know what to say," she muttered under her breath.

"Ya shouldn't have said a damn word ta begin with!" he shouted. She nodded her head and started walking up the sidewalk to the corner, holding her hand out to a taxi. "What tha fuck are ya doin'?" he asked, angrily as she opened the door to the car.

"Going home. I told you I wanted to go home before you went to tell Doug. So, I'm just going to do what I said I was going to do."

"Why tha fuck did ya open ya mouth like that in front of Fergie, of all people?" She smirked and shook her head, looking out towards the highway, away from his face.

"Sorry I still have feelings for you, Jem. I wasn't going to let him talk to you like that."

"It's Fergus Colm, Kate. He can call me a fuckin' fairy if he wants." She shook her head and looked back into his face. His eyes were wild with frustration, his jaw set.

"You know maybe you were right the entire time. Maybe I should just stop caring about you." She sat down on the seat and watched him walk around to look at her as she sat.

"An' that's it then?" he asked, grabbing a hold of the car door.

"That's it," she whispered, pulling the door closed.

Her home was empty. Quiet. It was nice to be in silence after the buzz from the bar. She shut and locked the door behind her, kicking off the heels she had been wearing and wondered up the hallway stairs, turning the light on as she entered her bedroom. With a quick flip of her wrist she threw her cellphone and change purse onto the bed. She undressed quickly, replacing her clothes with a pair of dark green flannel pajamas. There was a loud pop sound as the lights went off. She jumped and yanked her cellphone off of the bed, staring outside to look at the other well lit homes on either side of her. "What in the fuck…" she whispered, stumbling over to the window. There was a loud blare of a horn from the street, causing her to drop down to her knees and hands as she peered out over the windowsill. Her eyes caught a glimpse of three men in masks holding assault rifles standing beside a black car. Her hands began to shake as she pulled her cellphone up to her ear. She put her mind on autopilot, dialing any number she could first, as she tried to focus on the situation unfolding before her.

"Kate Faust, consider this a friendly reminder that we know where ya live," yelled a voice. She breathed a few short shallow breaths as the cellphone dialed the number. "We'll be watchin'."

"Answer," she whispered quietly, slumping against the wall, watching, listening, and waiting for someone to come barreling into her room at any second. Her mind replayed thoughts of Brian falling to the ground, blood spewing from his chest. She closed her eyes tightly as tears fell, clutching the phone against her ear, her heart thumping in her chest.

"Tha fuck do ya want?" Jem asked from the other end of the phone.

"Jem-" she breathed between quiet sobs. "Jem, I need you."

"Tha fuck is goin' on?"

"Fergie's sent guys out here. They-they-" she stuttered and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "They have guns. I don't know what they are gonna do."

"I'll be there in a two minutes. Just breathe. You're gonna be fine. Did ya see how many are out there?"

"Three, but I- I'm afraid to look again."

"It's alright." She could hear shuffling in the background and the clanking of metal.

"I'm sorry-" she breathed, running a hand through her hair, as her eyes refocused on the doorway.


	8. Chapter 8: Night

**So, this is kind of a filler. Kind of. And kind of not. But, at least I finally updated this shit, right? Haha. I've been really busy with school. I only have two weeks left! Enjoy! And as always… thanks for the support. ;)**

Jem's heart began to race as he pulled up outside of her home, a gun in his left hand. His blue eyes scanned the sidewalk beside him, he squinted at shadows and reached for the gun on his passenger seat, his eyes looking in every possible direction. He had called Doug on his way to her house, putting Doug in route. He breathed in and tapped the gun in his right hand lightly on the steering wheel, slightly shaking with anger and a small twinge of fear, not that he would ever admit it. He used a few fingers to open the latch on the door when Doug appeared outside of his window. Jem jumped and held the gun up, completely unaware. Doug jumped back and held his hands up. "Fuck," Jem cursed, dropping the gun as he looked around again. "Tha fuck is with ya, Doug? Ya know how fuckin' trigger happy I am."

"I saw ya pull up an' was waitin' a second. I ain't seen anybody out here. We should go in an' check on her." They both looked up at the house, all of the lights were off. Jem looked over at Doug and handed him the gun from his left hand. Doug gripped the gun tightly and motioned for Jem to walk first. They both walked up to the sidewalk in a single line, Doug scanning the streets as Jem opened the door.

"Jem?" Kate asked in a soft whisper. Jem side stepped his way into the house and looked up to find a silhouette of her body on the stairs. She ran down them almost immediately, flinging herself into his arms. He wrapped himself around her, holding onto the back of her head as he looked over the room to make sure everything was still in order. Doug slumped down onto the couch and rubbed the butt of the gun on the back of his head.

"You okay?" Jem asked, before tucking the gun into his holster on his belt loop. She nodded and looked up at him, her cheeks tear stained, and eyes red. "Anyone come in the house?"

"Not that I know of," she answered, her eyes darting around. Doug pulled the cord on a light next to the couch and nothing happened. He sighed loudly, rising to his feet to try the switch on the wall and sighed louder when he got the same result.

"We're gonna have ta call tha electric company," Doug stated, turning to look at Jem.

"Are you guys going to call Liam?" she asked looking over at Doug as he dialed the number to a friend who worked for the electric company. Jem shook his head.

"Gettin' him involved isn't a good idea, Kate," Jem answered, opening the door to let some street light in.

"He's my boyfriend, you know?" He set his jaw and nodded. She ran a quick finger under her eyes to catch any running make up, folded her arms and looked down at the floor.

"An' he'd also confront Fergie. He ain't exactly big on lettin' someone release tha hounds on him an' not doin' anythin' about it. I don't think your man understands that."

"So what am I supposed to do?" She looked over as Doug squinted his eyes at them and walked into her kitchen to avoid the potential blow up. He was starting to recognize the cues for their arguments.

"Well, ya can come stay with me if ya want, while they're here fixin' ya lines."

"Are you sure?" she asked, the cold from the outside blowing its way across her body. She shivered and pulled her arms even closer to her chest.

"You're gonna need heat on a night like tonight an' who knows how long it's gonna take." With a slight nod of her head she walked up the stairs and fumbled into her room to pack a small bag. Doug walked out of the kitchen and looked over at Jem, an eyebrow raised as he put his cell phone in his pocket.

"Tha fuck is she doin'?" Doug asked, walking over to sit on the couch again.

"Packin', she's gonna stay with me while they work. It's cold out." He nodded listening to him talk and fumbled with a stray thread on the couch, smoothing it out with his finger.

"That a good idea?" His eyes met Jem's through the faint orange glow from the outside lights. Jem shrugged and adjusted his track suit jacket. "'Cause she can stay with me, if necessary, I mean, are ya sure?"

"Of course I'm fuckin' sure," he answered, glowering over at Doug. Doug raised his hands up in defeat and nodded. The toxicity between the two was as corrosive as battery acid, but he just didn't have the energy to battle it out with Jem. All of Doug's thoughts were wrapped into thinking about the blonde laying in his bed naked and he didn't want to lose that thought on his way back home.

"A'right, ya got it. I am gonna head on outta here an' get back home." Jem nodded, watching him rise and head for the door. He patted Doug on the shoulder, turning to watch him disappear into the shadows of the streets.

"Come on, Kate, we're not goin' on a fuckin' vacation," he yelled, adjusting the gun on his side. He didn't like being a sitting duck. For all he knew the guys were all just waiting for Doug to leave before descending on them. It was making him anxious.

"Alright," she sighed, walking down the stairs, a stuffed duffel bag in her right hand. She had changed into an old Red Sox sweatshirt and sweatpants. Jem took the bag out of her hand and let air escape his mouth.

"Tha fuck did you put in here?" he asked, adjusting the weight in his hand.

"Just stuff."

"Uh-huh," he added, holding the door open a little wider for her. She walked out ahead of him and sat in his car as he locked up the front door. Her eyes tracked him, his wide yawn from the lack of sleep, the way he carried himself when he walked, his dress shirt almost unbuttoned to the middle of his chest. She imagined what it would be like to pull it off of him, to kiss him again… before she could finish the thought Jem slammed the driver's door shut and sat down in the seat.

His apartment was a lot worse than she remembered. Clothes littered the back of the couch, small plastic Ziploc bags were scattered among various surfaces and the floor, beer bottles were lined up in the windowsill and the coffee table. "Jesus, Jem, it smells like someone fucking died in here," Kate breathed, holding her hand over her nose and mouth. He walked down the length of the hallway, ignoring her as he placed her bag in a small spare bedroom that had been completely left alone. Jem always had an empty room for his sister and niece in case her current boyfriend ever got too crazy and they needed a place to stay. It had a small queen size bed with a dresser and tiny bathroom attached to it. The only clean place in the apartment. She followed him and walked into it, looking at a few small pictures on the wall. "How is Krista?" she asked, pointing at the tall, thin blonde in one of the pictures.

"She's alright. Got a kid now. A little girl. Been living with some guy down the road that works as a mechanic. She's the same old, ya know?" Kate nodded, remembering his younger sister, how brash she was. She wasn't one to let people talk down to her and Kate definitely knew who his sister had learned that from. Krista was a spitfire.

"Aw, that's sweet that you're an uncle, Jem," she cooed, turning to smile at him. He raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"Look it's four in the fuckin' mornin' an' I am tired. I'm not tryin' ta be an asshole, but I am goin' tha fuck ta bed. We can talk tomorrow," he stated through another yawn, unbuttoning the rest of his dress shirt. Kate nodded, following with her own jaw splitting yawn. "Night," he mumbled, closing the door behind him.

"Night," she replied pulling the blue quilt back. She tucked her body under the covers the best she could, laying her head down on the pillow. Without hesitation her mind began recalling on the times she had snuck into his apartment before, just to lay next to him. As rough as he was on the outside, he almost always turned to mush when they were snuggled up together. She longed to see that side of him again. Pulling the collar of her sweatshirt away from her neck she wondered what he would do if she tried to cuddle with him. "No," she breathed to herself, snuggling deeper into the bed. "I'm not gonna do that." The heater kicked on, causing her to jump a little. Even with the heat and the blankets, it still left a void next to her that she didn't want. Before re-thinking her decision she climbed out of bed and opened the door with a squeak. She braced herself for a slew of cuss words, asking her what she was doing and what not, but she smirked when she didn't hear a word. She stopped just short of the couch when her brain finally reminded her of what exactly she was doing. Morals finally came to light… she was about to walk into the room of her ex-boyfriend who she still had feelings for, even though she had a boyfriend that loved her dearly. Running a quick hand through her hair she sighed deeply. Her body was longing to be next to his. She wanted to smell the cigarettes on his skin, the alcohol on his breath, and feel the scratching of his goatee when he kissed her. She knew it wasn't right, but she didn't want to fight it anymore. Pushing the thoughts back she walked through the living room to his door and knocked silently. She could hear him grunt on the other side of the door. With a long exhale she turned the knob, pushing the door open. He was on his back, shirtless, his sheets just covering his lower body, hands behind his head. It took a lot of grace to walk through the mounds of junk on the floor. Kate slowly dropped down next to him in the bed, causing him to stir.

"Tha fuck are ya doin'?" he mumbled, rubbing his face as she pulled the covers over her.

"Thought it would be just like old times," she whispered, turning on her side to face him. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"I ain't in tha mood ta deal with this right now. Did ya just forget tha conversation we had before ya left tha bar?" She put a hand over his mouth.

"Can we just pretend for right now?" she asked as he rolled onto his side to look at her. His eyes looked over her face. Thoughts began to cloud his mind. He started to think of the consequences of what would happen if he did and all of the nights he spent wishing he could have had her. The urges piled themselves up, he finally reached out and ran his hand along her hip over the sweatshirt. She smiled, placing her hand on his chest. Jem used little to no effort to pull Kate closer, wrapping his arm around her. Her smile grew in width as she breathed him in, burying her face in his bare chest. The smell was just as she had remembered it. His arms bulged as they cradled her against him, his face buried in her hair. She scratched his back lightly, causing him to sigh. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her slightly. Kate leaned her head away for a second to look at him, smiling.

"What?" he whispered, pushing her hair out of her face, his fingertips brushing against her forehead.

"I missed this," she breathed back, cupping his jaw. His lips formed a smile. Kate's eyes followed the form of it, causing a deep pit to manifest in her stomach. Butterflies danced along her ribcage, her hand ran along the length of his neck, squeezing his shoulder. He breathed in a little faster as his hand found its way to her lower back. He cocked his head in closer to hers, bringing his mouth closer and closer. When their lips met the world faded away. All that was in the past was brought back to the future. His hands searched their way under her shirt, tugging at it as her lips pressed against his. He rolled on top of her and pulled it off, pushing his tongue into her mouth. She parted her mouth, running her tongue against his. His hips grinded into hers as she tugged off her extra shirt, pulling him back down to feel his mouth. They explored each other's bodies and mouths. Their hands touching any free space. Jem's tongue and lips touched her neck in the same familiar pattern, his hands squeezing her hips. Her fingers found their place entangled in his hair. A grunt escaped him when her legs wrapped around him. Without another hesitation he pulled her sweatpants off with his boxers.

The next morning Kate woke up with her head on Jem's shoulder, her leg thrown over his. She smiled and kissed his shoulder, Jem opened his eyes when he felt her causing him to smirk. "Mornin'," he grumbled, scratching her back.

"Morning," she yawned back, stretching out her arm. He ran a hand through her hair and looked outside, the sun blazing.

"So, about this…" he started, remembering the consequences of their actions.

"What about it?" she asked, raising to her feet, pulling her clothes back on.

"Ya know Liam ain't gonna be exactly pleased." She shrugged and pulled her into a bun.

"Who says he has to know?"

"Ah, so it's gonna be like that?" he asked as she shuffled a few piles of junk together on the floor with her foot.

"You have any better ideas?" She stood before him next to his bed and looked down at him. He flicked the sheet back off of himself, pulling his boxers on after he found them at the foot of the bed.

"Nah, not really," Jem answered. He felt defeated. He thought she was finally his again. With a large amount of effort he brought himself to walk by her without touching her. He stumbled into the kitchen and pulled out a beer, chugging almost the entire bottle. She stood in the doorway, watching him. He was upset to be taken that way by her. She always found some way to crawl back into his heart, regardless of whether he wanted her in there or not. Kate walked past him and maneuvered herself into the chair at the table.

"Look, Jem," she folded her arms and adjusted herself in the seat. She had no idea what to say. "You know I still have feelings for you, but I love Liam, too."

"Yeah, I got all that when I was fuckin' ya last night." She rolled her eyes and looked at him. Same old Jem.

"I'm not sure what I want right now." He sat the beer down on the counter and held himself up on the refrigerator.

"Tha fuck does that mean?" Her shoulders shrugged. "I'm so tired of this mind fuckin' head game bullshit. I really fuckin' am. Ya want ta be with me, ya don't want ta be with me, ya hate my fuckin' guts, ya love me. I'm sick of your damn shit." She watched the fury build in his eyes. The dragon had been unleashed.

"I don't want to leave Liam, Jem, but I do love you, too."

"It don't fuckin' work that way, Kate," he stated, feeling his heart break. Jem didn't share. That wasn't in his nature. He was going to have it all.

"For now it has to."

"Nah, it really doesn't." She sighed and stared out of the kitchen window, trying to imagine herself in another place.

"Jem, do you love me?" He looked into her eyes while trying to find the words to say. He had never been able to see himself with anyone else. With a heavy heart he closed his eyes, remembering all of the times he had said it to her before. It had always had a meaning with her.

"Yes," he answered quietly. When he reopened his eyes she was standing in front of her. Her hands on both sides of his face.

"Then don't make me choose." He placed his hands over hers and rubbed them with his thumbs. "I can't not love you, Jem."


	9. Chapter 9: Marcus Colm

**This is kind of quick and easy. :) It's not really a filler, but if it seems rushed or quick or choppy, that's my own fault. I was really excited to write this chapter and wanted to get to the more important side of things. I hate dragging things out and I didn't want to do that with this chapter. There are only 2 chapters left! Maybe 3, but I'm not sure how I am going to divide them up yet. :) Enjoy and thanks for the support as always!**

Weeks dragged by. Every week was the same, Kate would swing by Jem's apartment after an event and stay overnight, completely undetected by Liam. Doug had his suspicions, but he figured he was reading too much into it.

The three of them slide over a large sheet of ice leading to City Hall. There had been a major protest of a new school system that Kate had presented and was working on getting approved. She wanted to tear apart Charlestown's school system and integrate the kids into the more educated schools nearby. Parents from the better areas were concerned about corruption, parents from Charlestown didn't want their children in "toonie" schools.

"Ya ready?" Jem asked, giving her a light squeeze on the arm. Her eyes peered up at him. His eyes were scrunched up from the chill of the wind, his nose and cheeks bright red. She gave him a slight nod and followed closely behind him as he wretched the door open against the wind. A swirling of voices and hot air rolled over them like a wave. The voices sounded like snarls. Bodies occupied each viable space in the hallway. Some were holding posters, pictures, and signs. Some were just yelling to be heard. When eyes found Kate each body seemed to turn towards her. She brought her hands to Jem's coat and gripped it tightly, her eyes staring at the ground. Police guarded the front of the hall, keeping the podium and stage area clear for the Mayor, Governor, and a few other representatives. Kate's proposition had caused a stir for everyone. Jem's shoulders rammed into a few bold enough to challenge him as he walked her to the stage. His face and jaw were set, his arms ready to swing at anything.

"They really need to get a bettah set up for this," Doug yelled a few inches away from the back of Kate's head.

"You're a bitch!" yelled out a woman. Kate flinched into Jem's back, holding him even tighter. He met the line of policemen who made a small gap for them to walk through. Jem helped guide her up the steps and sat her down in a padded folding chair. The two of them took their places behind Kate, arms folding across their chests, eyes on the crowd. Kate's eyes swooped over the arguing protestors before locking onto the face of the representative next to her. He gave her a small smile and patted her knee. She forced herself to give a smile back and swallowed hard. Wielding every ounce of courage she tried to maintain it.

"This shit is crazy," Jem muttered from the side of his mouth, keeping his eyes on a few rowdy men in the front.

"You're not fuckin' kiddin'," Doug muttered back, watching as the door opened again. Jem's eyes snapped down to the front row to the right as someone yelled. A man pulled back and punched a cop square in the face, causing the hype of the crowd to be sent into overdrive. There was an abrupt shuffling of policemen causing the crowd to break out into one large fight of their own. Kate jumped to her feet out of fear as some protestors began fighting on the stage.

"Jem," Kate breathed, working her way around the chair to him. He held out his arm to grab her, stepping towards her. Doug stepped in front of the chair ready to tackle anyone heading his way. She was almost in Jem's arms when a large body tackled hers, knocking her to the ground. With a throat ripping scream she held her arms up in front of her face to prevent more damage. She could feel the pain in her leg throb. Jem yelled out in a grunt and wrapped his hands up in the man's shirt. Doug turned and attended to Kate as Jem shoved the man.

"Tha fuck are you doin'?" Jem barked, pointing at the portly man that easily stood a few inches taller than him. "Ya fuckin' retarded?" The man smirked and shook his head. With a snarl of anger he connected his fist to the man's face and wrapped his hands around the man's neck. He fought wickedly against Jem, trying to push and break his grip. Jem's knees pounded into his groin, dropping him to his knees with ease. Doug held Kate's hand tightly as she cried.

"Where does it hurt?" Doug asked, looking down her body.

"My fuckin' leg," she grunted, gripping his hand a little tighter. He scratched his head with his free hand as he looked over her legs and saw her left foot turned at a 90 degree angle. With a queasy stomach he looked into her eyes.

"It's-ah-yeah-we're gonna need a doctor," he explained nervously, looking into the crowd to see if he could spot anyone in a uniform. He found Jem dropping the man who tackled Kate. He was wailing on him with kicks to the side when Doug yelled out to him. "Jem!" Doug harshly, trying to break Jem out of his current fixation. Jem ignored him and continued punching the man. "Jem!" he barked even louder. "Cut your shit out, I need you over here! He's clearly fuckin' down!" With a great effort Jem stopped and pulled the man's wallet out of his pocket.

"Here," Jem quipped, tossing the wallet to Doug as he crouched down beside Kate. Tears were wielding her eyes as she grunted through the pain. "We're gonna get you help," he whispered, running his hand through her hair.

"Did you drop that fucking asshole?" she asked.

"Bet your ass I did," he answered with a wide smile.

"Good," she breathed.

The hospital was absolute chaos. Kate was rushed out for an x-ray while Doug and Jem were shuffled to a very full waiting room. The ice had caused a lot of accidents and the injured from City Hall were pouring in. Jem sat briefly in one open chair, but never one to have an idle mind, he rose to his feet and began pacing. His hands rested on the back of his head as Doug thumbed through the wallet they had picked from the tackler. "You're not gonna like this," Doug stated, holding the wallet out to Jem as he sat in the vacant chair. He cursed as his eyes read over the name on the ID. Marcus Colm.

"Fergie's grandson?" Jem asked, slamming the wallet shut. Doug nodded and shook out his coat.

"Whaddya think this means, Jem?" Jem clenched and unclenched his jaw a few times, looking around the room with his hands on his hips before looking at Doug. Without a word he turned to walk out. "Where tha fuck are you goin'?" Doug yelled as Jem walked towards the door. Jem ignored him and continued walking.

Jem's eyes looked over the flower shop from a block away. The lights were all on and Fergie was shuffling behind the counter, playing with a few arrangements in the refrigerators. Jem took his lit cigarette and buried it into the brick of the building he was leaning against. He exhaled and scanned over the sidewalks one more time before heading to the store. Without another thought, he pulled the door open and retrieved the gun from his side holster. The bell chimed causing Fergie to turn and face Jem and the barrel of his gun. A smirk played on his face as he rose his hands up. "I see ya got my message," he purred.

"Shut tha fuck up," Jem spat. Fergie sighed, smiled, and shook his head. "I'm here ta tell ya that you're gonna leave her tha fuck alone. His small blue eyes rolled before refocusing on Jem.

"Ah, but she's a problem for me, son. An' ya know what I do with problems." Jem stared into his eyes and gripped his gun tighter, his knuckles white. "If she woulda jus' stayed in wherever-tha-fuck-she-was we would still be at tha same ol' game."

"Maybe," he countered.

"Maybe?" Fergie's eyebrow rose.

"Yeah, fuckin' maybe. There's other shit that's more important."

"Oh, like what?"

"Like family an' shit. An' not havin' ta watch your ass all tha time." Fergie laughed and shut his eyes.

"Jem Coughlin, a family man?" He snorted and pointed a finger at him. "You an' I both know you're not cut out for that." Jem felt anger and guilt climb and chew its way into his throat. It made it that much harder to breathe. He felt like he was suffocating. "If that was tha case ya would 'ave popped out a ton of little shits, terrorizin' this town jus' like you." He swallowed and briefly tried to recall his daydreams of his own children running around in the park, Kate chasing after them as they played cops and robbers. Fergie's chuckling chased the thoughts away. "You're a no good piece of shit thief, Jem. An' that's it. You're a cold blooded killer. Killers don't get married, have babies an' live 'happily ever after'. You live in a goddamn dream world if you think that's ever gonna happen."

"I thought I told you ta shut tha fuck up," Jem growled, shaking the gun. Fergie's manipulation was effective. It drove Jem insane with rage. "I'll put a fuckin' bullet right in that fuckin' face of yours."

"Strikin' a nerve, am I?" He smiled and watched the redness creep over Jem. "Life don't work tha way ya want it to. You don't get happiness an' love in life. You're always competin' with 'em. " Jem's feet pounded the ground as he closed the distance between them and shoved the gun into Fergie's chest.

"I've had enough of your mind game bullshit," he spat, pushing his nose against Fergie's. Fergie's eyes doubled in size. "What is it gonna take for you ta leave her alone? Do whatever tha fuck ya want to me. It's me ya fuckin' want anyway." A spark ignited in his brain as Jem spoke, it showed in his eyes. Jem's gut felt heavy as he watched his eyes turn at the thought. He backed away from Fergie and took a deep breath.

"Work with some of tha guys this Friday in a big bust for me." He felt a pain grow in his stomach. "But, I don't want just you. I want Dougie, too. You two can take on anything together an' to pull this off, I need ya both."

"What's tha fuckin' catch?" Jem grunted, knowing that there was going to be something more to it for Fergie to be so willing to let him go.

"We're takin' on Fenway Park." Jem laughed as he put his gun in his holster. "There's millions in that fuckin' place. We got all tha shit, we jus' need tha men."

"An' I do this an' you're gonna leave us all alone?" he asked Fergie.

"You're damn right."

"An' what if ya fuckin' don't, Fergie?"

"Put a bullet in my brain." His eyes looked around at the flowers around the shop, he was trying to believe what he was hearing. "Do we have a fuckin' deal?" He thought about Kate as he looked at the daisies on the counter. They were her favorite. Thinking of Kate and the current situation he was in, he knew she was going to be mad. He knew she would rather have two broken legs rather than see him stealing again. Jem couldn't risk her getting hurt again.

"Deal," Jem mumbled, holding out his hand.

"Meet me with Dougie tomorrow at the old rink," he stated, shaking Jem's hand with a devious smile on his face.

Back at the hospital, Kate was asleep when he made it into her room. Doug was perched on the edge of her bed, his chin in his hands. "Why'd they keep her over night for?" Jem asked, shutting the door behind him.

"She was really fuckin' shook up. Which ya would 'ave known had ya fuckin' stayed here," Doug barked as Jem walked towards the couch.

"Don't start with me, Dougie. Jus' fuckin' don't," Jem sighed, sitting on the couch, holding his hands up. Doug nodded and walked over to the couch to sit next to Jem.

"Where in tha fuck have you been?"

"I went ta see Fergie," he answered blankly, staring at Kate's purple cast poking out of the thin white sheet over her. In that moment he felt like an asshole as he tried to imagine how they were going to have sex now that she had a cast on.

"Ya did what?" Doug chirped in a loud whisper. He scooted to the edge of the couch cushion to look at Jem. "Why tha fuck did ya do that for?" Jem shrugged. "Are ya fuckin' retarded? How tha fuck are ya still alive?" Doug grabbed Jem's forearm and pushed his sleeve up to look in the crook of his elbow. "Are ya on that shit again? So fuckin' help me, Jem, if you're on drugs again…" Jem turned towards Doug and ripped his arm out of his grip.

"Would ya calm tha fuck down?" he barked, hitting Doug's leg. "You're gonna wake her up." They both looked at Kate then back at each other. "We need ta talk about this situation." Doug nodded at each word he spoke. "An' you're not gonna like it." Doug frowned as he heard Jem's words.


	10. Chapter 10: Fighting

**Here it is! This is probably my favorite chapter out of all of them, honestly. It reaches pretty deep. I am super excited for what's about to happen!**

"Tha fuck did ya get us into, Jem?" Doug asked, combing his hands through his hair after Jem spoke. He had been seeing the blonde from the bar and he was excited that it was getting serious. He was on the right path to having his own family and he had hit another roadblock to deal with.

"If we do this, he's done, Dougie. I didn't have a choice." Jem's eyes traced over Kate as she lay in the bed, her chest rising and falling slowly as she slept. He yearned to sit next to her, pull her in close and guard over her. It was his job. He loved her and wasn't going to let her be harmed anymore if he could help it.

"Did'ya stop an' think that maybe this shit is suicide? Sure, he'll be out of our fuckin' lives, because we'll be fuckin' dead." Doug shook his head and stared at the ground.

"I can't let her get hurt again…" he trailed off and looked down at the silver cross around his neck, holding it up for Doug to see. "She means too damn much ta me. If I have ta die for her ta live a happy, carefree life, so fuckin' be it." Doug sighed and patted his shoulder. He knew that Jem's feelings reached that deep for her. He was kind of relieved to hear him say it. It was like he had finally accepted his feelings. He patted Jem's shoulder and sighed. Doug's dreams were close, yet Jem's were even closer. It was time to make it up to him, time to repay him for Walpole. "I'm in," Doug stated, staring at Kate. They both sat in silence. Jem didn't want to talk about anything else. "We can't tell her."

"I know," Jem breathed, stretching his arms above his head. He laid the silver cross back down on his chest and yawned, peering outside.

Jem helped Kate to her front door before heading off to meet Fergie. "Where are you going?" Kate asked after he gave her a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. He was almost to the car before he answered her.

"I'll be back later. Gotta go handle a few things," he answered, opening the car door. "Get inside, get warm an' for fuck's fuckin' sake, call Liam," he spat, shutting the ringer off of his phone as Liam called him again to make sure she had gotten home safely. He sat down in the car and looked at her as she stood in the doorway, leaning against her crutches, her face heavy with sadness as she realized he wasn't staying. He felt guilty as Doug pulled away. He knew he should have been in there taking care of her. Liam was too busy to take the time to care for her in her state. His eyes followed the shapes of the buildings as they passed by.

"Ya know if she ever finds out she'll be devastated, right?" Doug asked, steering them down the road to the ice skating rink. Jem gave a curt nod of his head. His throat was too heavy for him to speak.

The skating rink was as dead as it could be. All of the ice and snow meant kids could play outside, not that it had been used often anyway. In the parking lot were two other cars. Doug recognized one as Fergie's, but he had a hard time placing the second one. "Ya ready?" Doug asked as he put the car in park.

"Yeah," Jem answered, adjusting his weight to get out of the car. The clouds hung low over them, light gray, dreary, threatening to spit out snow at any second. They walked in together, huddled next to each other, against the wind. The door made a loud squeak as Jem opened it. Inside, four guys were sitting on the bleachers before Fergie.

"Ah, tha men of tha hour," Fergie sang with a clap of his hands. "Gentlemen, meet tha finest damn criminals that Tha 'Town's ever raised." A man on the bleachers snorted as he looked between the two of them. "Take a seat boys, I was jus' runnin' down tha game plan." They took a bench on the front row, a few yards away from Fergie and far enough away to monitor the other men. "As I was sayin' Jem an' Doug are headin' inside. They're gonna answer a fake call an' make it inside tha vault ta get tha cash. Ya get in, get tha shit an' get tha fuck out."

"Sounds simple," a man mumbled.

"What about security?" Jem asked, hunching down onto his knees, elbows holding him up. "They're not gonna let us jus' shove money in tha bags an' tell us ta have a nice fuckin' day."

"Not a problem. You're probably gonna hav'ta remember some addresses an' shit ta scare 'em, but these guys are real fuckin' pathetic. They're girl scouts compared ta you an' Doug." He nodded at Fergie's words and let his eyes drift off to the tattered cloths of awards hanging from the rafters.

"How much is tha score?" Doug asked, rolling his hand. He wanted to hear the important stuff. He wanted to know how much he was risking his dreams for.

"'Bout ten grand a piece. But, with tha situation at hand, you two are gonna get a little less. Consider it _extra security_," Fergie answered with a slight smirk. Doug nodded, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. He wasn't sure how Jem was handling it so well when he was close to exploding. "I got your uniforms in my car. Tha keys to a squad car are back at my shop. You boys'll head in tha south entrance an' hit up tha vaulted room while you all will stake out tha tunnels ready to receive them in an ambulance they keep stationed there. No prints, no names, nothing…"

"An' what if shit hits tha fan?" Jem asked, cutting him off. "This ain't like knockin' down a fuckin' goddamn mini mart. What if we get ambushed?" Fergie rubbed the top of his bald head and looked at each of them.

"Every man for himself," he answered, stopping at Jem's eyes. Doug let out a rush of air. His stomach felt like a tar pit, thick, oozing, rolling, and bubbling. Hearing that made him anxious. He was trying to figure out how it wasn't going to turn into a bloodbath.

"I'm not goin' back ta fuckin' Walpole," Jem snarled. "I'll kill every motha fucka I hav'ta, but I am not goin' back there."

"Do as ya please, my boy," Fergie countered. Doug looked over Jem's face as he spoke, trying to make sense of his thinking.

"You're fuckin' serious," Doug stated, his eyes looking over Jem's set jaw and heavy brow. "Tha fuck is up with you?"

"I'm not goin' back there, Dougie. I can't an' I won't."

"Well, ya know if they find ya an' ya don't surrender that they're jus' gonna pump ya full of bullets. Ya know that, right?" He nodded, causing Doug to rise to his feet out of anger. Adrenaline, fear, and anger pumped his system into overdrive. "Jem, you're fuckin' stupid."

"Oh, I'm fuckin' stupid?" Jem repeated, standing up to look him square in the face. The words were making him hot. It never took much to make him lose it.

"Yeah."

"An' why's that?"

"You're gonna get your dumbass killed. I know you are. I'm tellin' ya as your best fuckin' friend, if we get jammed up, you're gonna turn your-fuckin'-self over to tha police. An' that's a goddamn order."

"Tha fuck I am, Doug."

"Jem, ya better listen ta me, ya stubborn fuck. Kate loves you. It may kill her ta watch ya go back ta Walpole, but at least she can get ya out this time."

"You don't know what it was like in there!" Jem barked, feeling the same old fears creep over him.

"No, maybe I don't. But, I do know that it'll break my fuckin' heart ta bury my best friend. Don't make me bury my brother, Jem." Doug's eyes began to rim with tears. "How am I supposed ta tell Kate you're dead?"

"By then it'll be all over national news, so ya won't hav'ta worry about tellin' her." He swallowed hard and squared his shoulders at Jem.

"There's more ta this fuckin' world, jackass. There's more beyond your fuckin' walls that ya put up ta keep us all out. Don't Kate an' I matter at all?" He held up two fingers in front of Jem's face and he put up two more. "Your sister an' niece. They don't count either?" Jem's eyes remained locked on Doug's. "Four fuckin' good ass reasons ta live." Slowly, Jem pushed one of Doug's fingers down.

"Kate doesn't fuckin' count when she's happily with someone." It was all Doug could do to stop himself from Jem senseless.

"Oh, don't give me that guilt trip denial bullshit," Doug spat, his throat raspy and dry with anger. "Boyfriend or no fuckin' boyfriend, ya know you're fuckin' it for her. If ya didn't know this shit, ya wouldn't have been bangin' her fuckin' brains out these last few weeks." Jem dropped his head as he silently let the words sink in. It was hard for him to control himself, but he was serious. With a loud exhale he rubbed his fighting Irishman tattoo with his hand, his eyes locked with Doug's. All he could think about was his constant battle against the world. The tattoo was no coincidence in his life. He was always fighting. Always. He fought every day to stay alive, as happily as he could. He was tired of it. He was tired of fighting to make people care about him. Tired of fighting his feelings. He felt old. He felt alone. Kate tried her hardest to understand him, but he had been changed forever. He just wanted the pain to stop, the hurt to go away. He wanted to be like the people he saw in the city, happy, smiling, no care in the world. His entire life felt like nothing but a fight and he was ready to let it win.

"I'm tired of my life, Dougie," he stated with a heavy heart. He looked at Doug's brown eyes and stared hard. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with me gone, ya know?" Doug shook his head, his eyebrows contorting in sadness over his brother, his mouth dropping into a frown.

"Don't say that shit. You're havin' a rough time. We all got times like that, Jem. Ya can't-"

"I jus' know that if I was ta die tomorrow, I would be outta tha damn picture. You could finally move an' get married an' have ya dream life. Kate could finally go be happy with someone that isn't gonna fuckin' break her heart all of tha damn time." Doug put his hands on his hips. He stood staring at Jem and raised a finger like he was about to scold a child.

"You're my fuckin' brother, James Coughlin. I would do anything for ya. Jus' like ya did for me. An' I will put all'a my shit on hold for ya."

"An' I would do tha same. That's why I gotta do it." Doug sniffed to try and subdue the tears and pulled Jem into a hug.

"I love ya, even if ya are one fucked up motha fucka," he breathed, patting Jem's back. "If this is what ya want an' that's what happens, I understand. But, I'm not gonna let ya go on a murderin' killin' spree. We're gonna do this shit an' we're gonna get out an' move on with our fuckin' lives." Jem nodded, his jaw tight. He didn't want to break down in front of Fergie and Doug of all people.

"I love ya, too, Dougie."

"Alright, that's enough of that shit," Fergie snapped as Doug and Jem stepped away from each other. "We got plans ta fuckin' make. Ya got addresses and names ta memorize. Ya got fuckin' codes ta know." He shoved papers in front of them and motioned for them to follow him. "Come get ya fuckin' uniforms an' get ta work." At the car, Fergie thrusted to zipped up, black garment bags at them. "We do this shit on Sunday at 2. It's after tha big fuckin' weekend an' they'll be loaded with fuckin' cash. They'll already be in tha tunnels. Shouldn't take ya more than 20 minutes for it all." They each nodded. "One of ya can get tha keys later this week an' I'll show ya where tha car is parked." They nodded again and returned to the car.


	11. Chapter 11: Sunday

**This is a really long chapter. The next one will probably really long, too. But, I just didn't want to give you guys too many cliffhangers. Haha, that doesn't mean I'm against it. Anyway, enjoy!**

Jem knocked on Kate's front door, gripping daisies in his free hand. He was hoping Kate would answer the door and not Liam. He knocked again after a few minutes and stopped when he heard Kate fumbling around behind the door. "I'm coming, damn it!" she yelled, huffing as she opened the door. He stood completely still, with a slight smirk on his lips, holding the flowers out for her to take. She couldn't help the smile spreading across her face. He was wearing dark jeans, a white thermal and a black leather jacket. Her cheeks flushed a color of red as she took the daisies out of his hand. "Thank you." She swallowed, trying to keep herself from giggling like a fool. He smiled and nodded his head to her. "I can't believe you remembered after all of these years."

"I could never forget anything about ya," he admitted, pulling his jacket off. She could smell his cologne and cigarettes from the movement. It was by far her favorite scent. She leaned in to hug him, he pulled the daisies out of her hand and placed them on the couch before holding her tightly. He closed his eyes as he smelled her hair, one hand stroking her curls while the other rested firmly on her side. She kissed his cheek and held her arms around his neck before burying her face in his shirt.

"I missed you last night," she muttered into his chest. He kissed her cheek and pulled away to look at her.

"Liam come by to help ya at all?" Jem asked curiously, looking around for any sign of the chief.

"No," she answered, adjusting her crutches back under her armpits. "He's been busy."

"He should've fuckin' been here," he snapped, carrying the flowers to the kitchen. She crutched after him. "What a piece of shit."

"Jem," Kate stated firmly, standing in the doorway. "What's wrong with you?" She sat down at the small breakfast table, watching him as he placed the flowers in water. He was trying his hardest not to slam things around.

"He's a fuckin' asshole, Kate. He doesn't take care of ya. He's never fuckin' here. What tha fuck is this shit?" he asked, raising his hands up as he turned towards her. "Is he ever here?" She shook her head. "You're more important than that shit. Especially right now. He's your boyfriend, he should be here. I'm just a random fuck." She sighed as the sweet side of Jem quickly faded.

"He's the chief of police, Jem. He can't just take off and be here." She ignored his last statement, because she knew it was out of anger.

"This is a crisis. This an emergency. Ya need someone here, 'cause one day, I might not be."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, about to rise to her feet again. He was making her uneasy and anxious. He shrugged and sat down beside her, taking her hands in his. His eyes focused on her hands as he stroked them lightly. "Jem? What's the matter with you? Are you okay?" He nodded before looking up at her.

"If somethin' happens ta me, I jus' want ya ta be taken care of. I jus' want ta make sure someone is here for ya."

"You're here," she defended, squeezing his hand. He sighed loudly and stood up.

"But, I'm not gonna live forever an' I'm not invincible." The importance of the robbery tomorrow flooded his mind. He just wanted to know everything was going to be okay. He wanted to know that if he died tomorrow, she wouldn't be alone. He knew that if tomorrow was his day that Kate was going to need all the support she could get.

"What are you trying to say? You aren't going to do something to yourself are you?" she asked cautiously.

"If somethin' happens ta me, I jus' want ya ta find someone who can give ya tha time, love an' attention ya need an' deserve." Her green eyes followed him as he paced the floor of her kitchen. She was sure that had he the chance he would be smoking a cigarette like a freight train. "After this last week, anythin' can happen an' if that certain thing was ta happen ta me…" he breathed and looked around the room, holding his hands on his hips. "I'm jus' tellin' ya what I would want for ya."

"Liam is a great guy."

"Is he now?" he asked, snapping back into defense mode. "Where is he tonight, Kate?" She folded her arms and cocked her head at him. She was starting to get annoyed. She had tried to be patient with him, but it was beginning to wear her down. "He's jus' an ass. That's all I'm sayin'. He doesn't help ya. I jus' want ya ta promise me." She looked into his eyes and over his lips as he crouched down in front of her, holding onto her hands again.

"Yes," she promised. "I'll find someone who will take care of me if something happens to you." He brought one hand up to stroke her cheek lightly.

"I jus' love ya," he whispered, looking into her eyes, trying to memorize every small detail of her face. The fear he felt in his gut was overwhelming in that moment. He feared he would never see her face again. It scared him more than anything… even more than Walpole.

"I love you, too," she whispered through her smile before he kissed her hard.

That morning, he felt like death warmed over. It was Sunday. Doom's day. And it was 9 o'clock in the morning. His body felt old. His muscles were stiff and sore, his mind equally the same. Kate stirred a bit next to him in her bed as he sat up, staring at the small digital clock across the room. The red LED's burned into his retinas like lasers. He felt like he was staring at a death clock. He rubbed a hand down Kate's back and yawned so hard he thought his jaw would break off. All he wanted to do was lay in that bed with her. With great effort he got up and walked over to her computer, flipping through the images she had saved. There were pictures of him and Doug from years ago, each with cigarettes in hand, scowls on their faces as they glared into the camera…pictures of him and Kate walking holding each other as they walked along the street. He found one of them kissing and he had to stop looking. It had only been an hour. He pulled on a sweatshirt he had left behind a few weeks ago and threw on his jacket before heading outside. The sun had just started to rise. It was bright outside from the snow piles on the ground, they were reflecting the light beautifully, creating a brilliant orange glow.

He walked a few blocks down to stare at Charlestown from across the river. He was praying he'd wake up to see it the next morning. His feet carried him aimlessly around the city, stopping to pause and reflect on each street. Something began to hurt inside of him when he realized that he had a greater amount of bad memories instead of good ones. A lot of fighting, arguing, shooting, drug runs… the list kept growing. He walked through the garden that he and Kate would sit in and plopped down on the bench. The wood felt cold and hard beneath him. With a heavy heart he rubbed the cross between his hands, trying to lose himself in his thoughts.

On the walk back into Kate's house, he found Kate sitting on the couch, fuming. She was across the couch, leg propped up, her pen rapidly shaking in her hand, phone to her ear. He walked in quietly and sat down on the coffee table across from her, she smiled at him and gave him a small cute wave of her fingers. "Work," she mouthed, pointing at the phone with an eye roll. He gently rubbed her leg and looked at the clock. It was almost noon. His insides fell to the floor. Silently, he crawled up beside her on the couch and laid his head in her lap. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. She loved his tame, vulnerable side, but she also knew he was only tame when there was something seriously wrong. "Babe, are you feeling okay?" she asked, pulling the phone away from her ear.

"Yeah," he breathed, peering up at her. She put her hand on his forehead and shook her head.

"Jem, you're burning up."

"I've been walkin' around for a couple of hours."

"Don't make me get nasty," she teased, rubbing his shoulder. "You need to lay down for a bit."

"I gotta meet Dougie here soon. He needs my help with some shit today."

"Well, feel free to stay here for a bit, but I have to go meet the Mayor. He needs me to discuss some bills with him. I have to start getting ready." He stood up and picked her up off of her feet, carrying her up the stairs like she was a prize. He put her down in the bathroom and kissed her passionately. She moaned and gripped his arms. "I have to get ready," she breathed, breaking away from him abruptly.

"I'm gonna get outta here," he stated, holding her face between both of his hands.

"At least take some medicine."

"I will." He combed a hand through her hair and looked over her bright eyes, full of warmth and love looking back at him. He felt a tug on his heart as he closed his eyes and kissed her again. She leaned into him and kissed him back, holding onto his face. He knew he was going to make it out of the robbery, he was going to see her again. He had to. He pushed the negative thoughts away and kissed her forehead, smiling at her as he pulled away. "I'll be back later, alright? Shouldn't be too long."

"Good. Tell Dougie I said hi and please don't forget to take your medicine. I'm gonna make dinner tonight around 7. So at least be home by then." He smiled when she said the word home.

"I love you, Kate," Jem spoke, walking out of the bathroom.

"I love you, too, Jem."

Jem drove the small beat-up getaway car they had used for years to Doug's townhouse. Doug was standing just inside the door, completely scrubbed down, his skin red and raw from the brush he had used to get the dead skin cells and hair off of his body. He only had a white towel wrapped around his waist. "How are ya?" Doug asked, picking the garment bag with his uniform up off of the couch.

"I'm alright, ya know? As good as good can be when you're about ta face tha unknown." Doug cocked an eyebrow at his best friend and shook his head.

"Since when did ya get all sentimental about robberies?" He shrugged and picked his garment bag out from under Doug's and walked up the stairs to the shower. "We're gonna make it outta this, Jem," Doug stated as he walked behind him up the stairs. Doug tried to console himself in that sentence, not just Jem.

"Sure," he added, stopping at the top of the stairs to look at his best friend. "I know we will. It's jus' kind of weird thinkin' that this might actually be tha last time." Doug nodded and smirked.

"Beers tonight, for everyone. We'll start drinkin' tha minute we get our asses outta this fuckin' uniform." He motioned to the garment bag and walked into his room.

"Fuckin' right," Jem agreed with a nod as he went into the bathroom. He walked out completely scrubbed down in uniform about half an hour later. Doug was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, adjusting the radio on his shoulder.

"You ready for this shit?" Doug asked, looking on as Jem pulled the cap over his head.

"Let's get this shit rollin'."

They walked together at the same speed towards a bright green ballpark entrance labeled "EMPLOYEES ONLY" in black lettering. Jem banged loudly on the door, trying not to fiddle with his uniform as he eyeballed the street around them. It opened with a brilliant squeak to reveal an overweight man, holding a ring of keys. There was no time for common courtesies or talking. They quickly rushed down sets of stairs, walking through tunnels and open areas of employees not even acknowledging them as they hurried by. They walked together silently in a small group, completely undetected. The man stopped before them at a door, handed the ring of keys to Jem, and pointed towards it before disappearing into another random door next to it. "Ready?" Jem asked with a heaviness in his voice as he looked at Doug. Doug didn't have the breath or energy to waste on speaking, so he gave him a nod. Jem exhaled loudly as he opened the door, the both of them descending down the stairs to a group of three security guards.

"Who called 911?" Doug ordered as they approached the men. The men all jumped at the sight of them walking down the hall and confusedly looked at each other.

"Was it you who called?" Jem yelled, pointing to a random man standing behind the security guards.

"I didn't," the man stuttered, looking at Jem with fear in his eyes. The man had his fair share of problems with cops and something about Jem made him fearful he was about to have another one.

"We got a robbery call from this number," he explained as he and Doug stopped just before the guards. He sized up each one of them, trying to find the weakest link the three of them. He could smell the fear from the other man a mile away.

"We got a distress call that someone is being held up right now," Doug barked, looking between the three of them. They each made a move to grab their guns, sending Jem into a rage.

"Someone better give me some fuckin' identification," he screamed, as the guards crouched down, ready to fight back against the both of them. Each one of them was as confused as the other as to who made a distress call. As Jem scanned the men, a guard leaped out, aiming his gun at Jem causing a fury of emotion. "Get your asses the fuck down," Jem yelled again as he withdrew his gun and aimed it at the four of them. "Get your fuckin' ass over here," he ordered, shoving the gun in the direction of the man behind the guards. His heart was thumping in his chest. Doug pulled his gun from his holster and aimed it at them with Jem, as the man joined the line of security guards.

"Give me your fuckin' guns," Doug ordered, pushing the barrel to guard's temple closest to him. They all hesitated looking at each other as Doug spoke, trying to see if it was the right thing to do in the moment. "I said give me your fuckin' guns," he ordered again, in a harsher tone, shoving the gun into the man's temple even harder. The man grunted and threw his gun to the floor. Realizing the seriousness of the situation the other two did the same. With a quick swipe of his foot Jem kicked the guns away, sending them sliding down the slick floor of the hallway.

"Watch 'em, I'll get tha shit," Jem grumbled, hiking the empty duffel bags up onto his shoulder. Doug nodded and watched him as he walked to the vault door. Flipping through the keys, he cussed and struggled with a few different one until he found the one to open it. He shoved the door open to find two workers counting the money. Jem pulled his pistol up and aimed it between the both of them. "Nobody better fuckin' move or I'll send ya both straight ta fuckin' Jesus." The men raised their hands and swallowed, breathing heavily as they nodded. He approached the both of them, zip-tying their hands together before dropping the bags onto the counter. The cash on the counter was stacked and wrapped, all ready for them to grab. With a few quick swipes Jem hurriedly shoved the stacks of cash into the duffel bags. It took him a little over five minutes to get it into the bags just right. With a loud grunt he pulled the full bags off of the counter and walked out into the hallway to find Doug holding the same four men at gunpoint. "Let's roll," he stated, holding a bag out for Doug to take. He took it quickly, the both of them walking down the hallway as fast as they could towards the door.

"Where tha fuck are we supposed ta meet these other fucks?" Doug asked, looking up the stairwell as they climbed.

"I don't remember," Jem breathed, grunting as he climbed the steps by two's, gripping the bag as it dug into his shoulder. He could feel it cut into him even under the bulletproof vest and thick material of the uniform. Doug tied to calm his breathing, the last thing he wanted to do was have a panic attack while trying to get his way out of a dangerous situation.

"Here." Doug stopped and pointed at a door labeled "BAY". "Bay 6, right?" he asked, his mind clouded from adrenaline and fear. He knew at any minute one of the security guards was going to be making the call and they only had a small window of time to get out.

"Jus'-" Jem began before stopping. He blinked as a bead of sweat fell down in front of his eyes. He was trying to make sense of the situation. All he could think about was Kate. She was making his brain a mess of information. "Jus' fuckin' go." He pushed the door open with his hand. They entered a large garage area. Jem's eyes darted along the numbers. He stopped when he found 6 and dropped his eyes down to the ground. The sight caused all air to leave his lungs. All four of the men they were supposed to be working with were laying pools of their own blood, all of their white uniforms completely soaked in bright red blood. "Dougie, we are so fuckin' dead," Jem whispered as his heart began to increase in speed again.

"Nah, don't say that shit. We got this," Doug stated, raising his hand up to try and subdue Jems' panic. His panic always led to rage and he knew exactly what would happen if Jem flew off the handle. "Let's find an exit." They both looked at each other and down the hallway as they heard the flood of sirens approach them.

"What tha fuck were ya jus' sayin'? Pretty sure ya jus' said we got this. I don't fuckin' think so," Jem quipped, pulling an assault rifle from out of his extra duffel bag. Doug grunted and pointed a finger at Jem, inches away from his nose.

"Put that shit away, ya dumbass. You're gonna get us tha fuck killed. We can fuckin' do this shit. Keep your goddamn head clear! Quit bein' such a fuckin' paranoid asshole," he ordered, shaking his finger as he pushed the assault rifle to the ground with his other hand. "We're gonna drop tha bags in a vehicle an' blend tha fuck in with tha crowd."

"Tha fuck I am." With a heave, Jem hiked the bag up onto his shoulder again, Kate's face flashing through his mind. He was going to complete the mission. Fergie was going to get his money and Kate was going to get her freedom. Doug cussed under his breath and followed after him.

"You do this shit, Jem, I'm not fuckin' goin' with ya." Jem bit his lower lip and turned to face Doug. The noise of the sirens made him crazy with fear and anger.

"What was that, Dougie? Mr. I'll-do-anything-for-my-fuckin'-brother. You agreed ta help me with this shit, remember? This is ta make sure Kate never gets hurt again. This is ta keep that bald headed fuck tha hell out of our lives forever an' ya jus' wanna fuckin' let all'ah that go now, huh?" he yelled over the noise, his throat burning. Jem walked up to Doug and stopped inches from his nose, looking directly into his eyes. "Give me that fuckin' bag, Doug."

"Jem, you're goin' get your ass killed," he stated, holding the bag out for him to take. Jem scoffed and grabbed the bag out of his hand.

"This shit isn't about me. I'm gonna do whatever tah fuck I can ta get this shit ta Fergie. If I die tryin', so fuckin' be it. But, you better promise me somethin' ya piece of shit. If you're fuckin' good for anythin' you'll do this for me." He held the gun up to Doug and looked at him, fire in his eyes. "If I die, you better take Fergie tha fuck out." Doug nodded solemnly. He saw the seriousness in his brother's face. It caused the soft spot he would always have for Jem to shine through, regardless of the gun and attitude he was getting.

"Jus' don't do this. Jus' come on. Put tha fuckin' bags down. We can still make it out. Let's jus' go drop him together. No one will ever fuckin' know. He's got his finger in so much shit. No one will be able to pinpoint us, Jem."

"I'm already in tha middle of tha shit," Jem spoke, dropping the gun, gripping the bags as he turned away.


	12. Chapter 12: Lucky Charm

**So, one more chapter left! :)**

Kate stared out of the window, listening as the Mayor rambled on and on about a bill that would soon be passed on the regulation of hours that officials could work per week. Usually she was extremely talkative and constructive during the meetings, but she couldn't stop thinking about Jem. She didn't understand why he had been acting the way he had earlier. It was eating away at her insides. "Are you okay, Kate?" the Mayor asked, realizing that there was something different about her demeanor. He stepped up to her side, folding his arms across his chest as he looked out, taking in the view with her. She cocked an eyebrow at him and turned.

"Oh yeah, sorry," she answered, giving him a bold, warming smile. She turned and crutched back to the conference table, staring at the piles upon piles of labeled manila folders.

"This bill is shit, isn't it?" he questioned, shoving the manila folder across the table. Sirens sounded from the streets. It sounded like a parade. She hobbled quickly over to the window and looked out, watching as squads of police cars, sirens blaring and lights blazing.

"What the hell is going on?" Kate whispered, turning to the blank television in the room. The Mayor switched it on and sighed as bold words flashed in a marquee along the screen. Fenway Park was being robbed.

"These damn criminals. Have they no shame?" he protested, tossing the remote onto the small black leather couch in front of the television.

"Two suspects have been identified, Douglas McCray and James "Jem" Coughlin," the reporter spoke as clips from a vault room played, looping the recording of Jem holding the men in the room at gunpoint. Kate fell to the floor in a heap, shoving the crutches away.

"Turn it off," she muttered, holding her hands before her face. The Mayor looked down at her, confused. "Turn it off!" she screamed, pounding her fists onto the carpeted floor. She took a couple of deep breaths, hoping it was a dream. Her eyes slammed shut as she tried to think herself awake. "Come on," she whispered, repeatedly, tapping her hands on the ground. Her throat grew tighter as she opened her eyes, to find that she was really awake. "Get the damn car, we're going to Fenway Park," she snapped, looking up at the Mayor.

Jem stumbled his way around the bay area awkwardly. He was fearful of what he'd find when he eventually found an exit door… the swarms of SWAT teams, a roadblock, armed police officers… Announcements were being played on the intercom for workers to evacuate immediately. Jem adjusted the bill of his cap and continued walking, dropping his head down. He tried to make himself invisible. "Hey officer!" called out a voice. It caused Jem to jump. He looked up, gun ready at his side. "What's goin' on?"

"There's been a robbery. We're just securing the building," he answered, looking behind him.

"Are they dangerous?" he asked.

"We're not sure. But, ya wanna help me outta here? I'm kinda lost."

"Sure," the man stated, holding the door open. "I can get ya outta here." Jem walked up behind him, climbing the steps at a much slower pace. His legs and shoulders were growing tired. His breath was heavy as he climbed the two sets of stairs. They walked down another corridor, out of another door, and into the street. The sun made Jem squint his eyes. The snow had melted, leaving the pavement and sidewalk wet.

"Thanks," Jem grunted, giving a small wave of his hand. He glanced down the road and saw police cars parked along it. He tucked his head down, making his way to a small parking lot. There were only a few police officers walking around him, but they were walking to the squad cars, completely oblivious to him. He couldn't wait to set the duffel bags down. There was actually a lot he couldn't wait to do the more he thought about it. "Just ta tha damn lot," he cursed, struggling to carry the bags. Inside of the gate of the lot he dropped the bags, letting them slide off of his shoulder with a thud. He pulled the cap off of his head and ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. His shoulders ached as he moved his arm, causing him to moan. Breathing in slowly he closed his eyes and thought of Kate. Her light brown hair, her green eyes, the freckles on her cheeks… his bottom lip quivered, his eyebrows scrunching together. He pulled the silver cross out from under his clothes and kissed it. "I'm sorry," he choked, opening his eyes to look up at the sky. Struggling, he clamored to his feet, ready to keep walking. He wasn't done yet. They weren't free from Fergie.

"Coughlin," barked an all too familiar voice. He shut his eyes and tried to pretend he hadn't heard the voice. Jem sniffed and pulled his cap back on, turning to face the man.

"What'dya want, Liam?" Jem quipped, straightening his back.

"Care to explain why you're in a uniform and carrying two large duffel bags?" Liam asked, gesturing to the bags by Jem's feet.

"Well, ya know, I'm not one ta maintain my career choices," he answered with a smirk. Liam shook his head at Jem.

"What in the fuck did you get yourself into?"

"Stop tha fuckin' pleasantries. You an' I both know you aren't down here ta play nice. So jus' quit playin' tha damn games."

"I'm out here because it's my goddamn job and because I know how much you mean to Kate. If you didn't mean anything to her, your ass would already be on the wagon with a fucking express ticket to Walpole." Jem smiled and looked up at the clear blue sky above them.

"Please, do yourself a fuckin' favor an' quit pretendin' like ya actually give a shit about Kate," he growled, his face looking back at Liam's.

"Excuse me?" Liam asked, turning his head at Jem, acting as if he couldn't hear him.

"Ya heard me right, ya prick. You don't care about her. Ya don't give a shit about her. Where are ya when she needs ya?" Liam gritted his teeth and pointed at Jem, ready to speak. "'Cause I know where I am," he added with another smirk. Liam's face grew red with heat. "I'm in her fuckin' bed. Doin' your fuckin' job."

"What the fuck did you just say?" Liam screamed, holding himself back from tackling him to the ground.

"Ya heard me, asshole. Where do ya think I was last night?" he growled, full of arrogance. Liam yelled out and threw himself at Jem, causing Jem to lift his knee into Liam's chest, knocking the wind out of him. He grabbed Jem's pant leg and tried to pull himself up, causing Jem to slam the butt of his assault rifle into Liam's forehead. He went limp and fell to the ground, senseless. Jem looked up slowly to make sure no one had been watching before grabbing the bags and hoisting them up onto his shoulders again.

He was almost out of the parking lot and across the street when Liam yelled his name. He turned, just in enough time to watch Liam raise his arm from the ground. Jem heard the shot ring out and felt the pain in his right kneecap. "Fuck!" he yelled, falling to the pavement. Cars swerved around him as the bags fell on top of his chest. It caused another adrenaline rush to surge through his veins. Stumbling, he climbed to his feet, turning the safety off of the assault rifle. He pulled the trigger, yelling as he aimed the bullets for Liam. Glass and metal flew around Liam as he covered his head, scooting his way under a truck. Sirens and lights added to the chaos as squad cars pulled up on the road. Jem shoved his arm through the straps and hobbled into a windowed lobby with a metal table. With a grunt he shoved the table onto its side and fell behind it, praying it would prevent him from being shot again. His leg was gushing with blood, he breathed, trying not to cry as the pain ripped through him. He almost swore he could hear Kate's voice…

Kate found Liam covered in glass shards, standing by a squad car talking to a few officers. "Where is he?" she screamed, frantically, walking on her cast. She had ditched the crutches a few blocks away because they had been slowing her down. Liam held up his hands in defense.

"He's taken himself hostage in that building," Liam explained, calmly, nodding his head towards the glass lobby.

"Well, get him the fuck out," she yelled, giving him a shove.

"It ain't that easy. He stole a lot of money, threatened the lives of at least 5 people an' shot at a police officer. If he leaves here, it's gonna be in a body bag or a squad car," the cop next to Liam added, pointing at the parking lot behind him.

"No, there's a logical explanation for this," Kate insisted, scowling at the officer, thrusting a finger in his direction.

"Is there now?" Liam asked, rising his eyebrow.

"Yes, there is and I'm gonna get it." She started walking towards the building, but was stopped as Liam held him arm out.

"You know I can't let you do that," he advised, looking into her eyes.

"Fucking watch me," she taunted, taking another step.

"Restrain her," he ordered a cop next to him. The cop wrapped his arms around her chest, preventing her from moving. She grunted and screamed, trying to push his arms off her.

"Fuck you, Liam," she snarled, pulling and pushing her body against the cop's chest. "You know he's changed and you're not even going to try and help him."

"Because he's a fucking criminal, Kate. He doesn't get special treatment just because you're banging him." Her face fell as she looked at him. "Don't look so shocked, Kate."

"How long have you known?"

"Long enough." Her eyes dropped to the ground as he spoke.

"Can I talk to him?" she asked, quietly, her anger fading.

"You can try." He handed her the megaphone and stepped back as the officer released his grip on her.

"Jem," Kate started, holding the mic button down. Jem felt his entire body shut down. "I know you're in there, Jem." He sat still for a second, unsure of what to do. Her voice was as shaky as her knees as she looked at the reflections on the window. He held a hand over the table causing tears to rim her eyes. "Just come out here, okay? Explain what's going on. I know you didn't do this willingly." She bit her lip as the sadness made its home in her throat. She felt like everything she knew was fading away. Tears fell down her already red cheeks as she saw the trail of blood leading into the lobby. Jem closed his eyes, tears forming behind them. He had taken his bulletproof vest off to use the Velcro for a tourniquet. He couldn't breathe with it on. The stress didn't help him at all and now that he could hear her voice… it was a hundred times harder to keep his composure.

"I can't," Jem yelled, throwing the cap across the lobby.

"Why?" she asked, her vision blurring as the rest of her make up began to flood down her face with her tears. "Just come out."

"I'm hurt," he answered, looking down through the wall of his own tears at his numb leg.

"I'm coming in to get you," she stated, seriously, putting the megaphone down on the hood of the police car next to her. She took a brave, shaky step forward, hoping she wouldn't be stopped again. Liam stood before her, his arms out.

"I'm not gonna let you kill yourself for some goddamn low life," he whispered looking into her eyes. Mascara was running in thick, black lines down her face. Her lips were swollen. There was a clanking of metal on concrete, causing Kate's eyes to flick over and watch smoke pour from out of the doorway. She yelped and shoved Liam, trying to break past him.

"Jem!" she shrieked, her throat burning as she forced the air of her lungs. Jem sputtered and coughed as the smoke filled his lungs. Choking, he rolled onto his stomach and slowly army crawled to the door, keeping as low to the ground as possible. His eyes were burning and tearing up faster from the fumes.

"Are we firing on sight?" asked a voice Kate could hear from a few yards away. Her heart surged with energy.

"Jem!" she yelled again, this time even deeper and clearer. "Don't come out!" He crawled from out of the smoke, confused and agitated. He squinted his eyes open, barely long enough to see Kate screaming, pounding her hands on Liam's chest. There was a sound of a loud crack as he felt the force pound into his shoulder. He yelled out, bringing his hands to the wound. Kate yelled his name again and put her hands on Liam's shoulder, this time finding all of the courage and strength in the world to push him against the car and out of her path. She fell at Jem's side, holding her hands down on the wound with a large amount of force. His eyes met hers. His chin slightly quivering as he held his hands lightly over hers. "Damn it, Jem," she sobbed, trying to push down even harder. "Why?"

"I'm sorry," he choked. "I'm so fuckin' sorry." He blinked and swallowed hard. "I know you hate blood." She smiled as tears fell.

"You know that's not why I'm upset," she whispered.

"At least I've got my lucky charm," he cooed, lightly touching her face with his hand. "I know I'm gonna make it now. Ain't nothin' I can't do when you're with me." He closed his eyes, this time for a longer period of time.

"Jem, stay awake," she ordered, the smile fading from her lips as she shook him. He jolted back to life and looked at her.

"I love you," he whispered, holding her hair.

"I love you," she breathed, hunching down to kiss him. He weakly kissed her back, unable to move his arms again. "You're gonna make it, okay?" He nodded, slightly, his eyes closing again. "Jem, please. Please don't leave me," she begged, her body shaking as she squeezed her hands into him, feeling his warm blood ooze over her hands. "Somebody fucking help me!" she yelled, holding her head back. He slowly felt himself fade, the world beginning to become nothing but darkness. All of the sounds echoing around him from a mile away. Paramedics rushed in and gently pulled her away, checking for vitals, shouting at each other as they packed his wound full of gauze. She back away slowly, watching the world without responding to it as they wheeled him away…


	13. Chapter 13: Darkness

The hospital was a blur for Kate. Doug had been found at his girlfriend's apartment and arrested. Kate had been able to find an attorney willing to sit in on the interrogation with him. She sat like a statue in the waiting room, paying no mind to her surroundings. Her cast and clothes were dirty, covered in a layer of sweat. Her leg was aching and possibly fractured beyond what it was before. Nurses tried to help her and communicate with her with no such luck. She was alone. She had tried to call Krista, Jem's sister, only to find out that Krista was too high to drive and feared being searched by the police. Her good knee bounced wildly as she stared at the grains of the door. She bit down on her lower lip imagining Jem laying in her lap again. She was angry with herself for not noticing something was wrong with him. She felt like it was her fault. Rubbing her hands on her thighs, her eyes lit up as she watched the surgeon walk out of the doors. "Can I go see him?" she asked, looking hopefully up at him. The surgeon swallowed hard and pulled the strings on his gown loose.

"I'm very sorry, miss, but he didn't make it through the surgery. His wound was too large," the surgeon spoke, trying to keep eye contact with her. Her eyes fell to the ground as she slowly let herself slip away. The entire world seemed to dissolve, the lines becoming foggy… He was gone. Tears found their familiar place on her cheeks. A nasty ball of burning emotion lodged itself into her chest. She held her face as she cried, trying to think of the times she had feared to hear those words. She remembered the nights he had been shot in the stomach and they considered it to be fatal. She tried to remember kissing him for the last time, before he left her house. Memories of them together played in her head. "Would you like to see him?" he asked calmly. She nodded, barely able to understand him. He reached down to help her up and steady her. She walked slowly beside him, her hands gripping his arm. Each step seemed to pull her closer to floor. "Here we are," he told her, stopping just before a closed door. She stared at the numbers on the plaque beside the door for a long time, unable to make the walk inside. Part of her tried to think that she would walk in and find him sitting in bed laughing, with a silly smirk on his face. The pain in her chest when she realized that wasn't going to happen spread across her body. It was a cold and awful feeling. The doctor turned the knob and opened the door, holding onto her as he walked in. She stood still for a second, feeling the still air flow out of the room and onto her skin. Her feet felt heavy as she lifted them to walk into the room. Her eyes refused to focus on the body lying on the bed.

The air she had breathed in quickly escaped her when she finally looked at him. He was still, pale, with a large amount of gauze over his right shoulder. His silver chain and cross were caked in dark red blood. His mouth was lifeless. It burned straight through her to see him that way. Her stomach churned as her hand touched his cool skin. Jem's skin used to be warm. It was her heater on the nights when the weather was so cold. She struggled to get into bed beside him. She put her head on his chest and ran her hand over his jaw, trying her best to keep herself from crying and screaming out. His once beating heart remained still. Her mind tried to pretend he was asleep as small sobs escaped her… he was really gone.

The funeral was hard. Kate had barely eaten in days. Doug had managed to escape imprisonment by Kate's saving face and pleading with the Mayor. She resigned shortly after Doug was pardoned. Fergie was arrested due to black mail and the murdering of his four men. He confessed to killing them in order to throw off his own plan to rob Fenway Park.

Kate sat still next to Doug on the hard metal folding chair, gripping Doug's hand as she looked into the only picture of Jim smiling. The casket was closed and only the silver cross and necklace laid on top of it. There was a loud creak as Jem was lowered into the ground. Doug patted Kate's hand as she squeezed his. Her eyes began to water as she thought of how lonely he would be in the ground like that. He wouldn't be close to anyone. It scared the life out of her. A few lone stray tears fell down her cheek as she listened to Jem's favorite drinking song "Parting Glass" played by The Pogues. The fighting Irishman was finally done fighting. No more battles. No more hurt. Just rest and darkness.

**I do have an alternate ending, where Jem lives. Let me know if you'd like to see it. If not, I'm not gonna waste my time to type it all out when I can get started on something else. :) Thank you all for reading. It's been wonderful to be back in the writing scene. It's my escape and I love it. It's been great to have all of this support in your darkest time of writing. Love to each of you!**


	14. Chapter 14: Give Me Words

The hospital was a blur for Kate. Doug had been found at his girlfriend's apartment and arrested. Kate had been able to find an attorney willing to sit in on the interrogation with him. She sat like a statue in the waiting room, paying no mind to her surroundings. Her cast and clothes were dirty, covered in a layer of sweat. Her leg was aching and possibly fractured beyond what it was before. Nurses tried to help her and communicate with her with no such luck. She was alone. She had tried to call Krista, Jem's sister, only to find out that Krista was too high to drive and feared being searched by the police. Her good knee bounced wildly as she stared at the grains of the door. She bit down on her lower lip imagining Jem laying in her lap again. She was angry with herself for not noticing something was wrong with him. She felt like it was her fault. Rubbing her hands on her thighs, her eyes lit up as she watched the surgeon walk out of the doors. His light blue scrubs were splattered with fresh red blood. To Kate, he looked like something out of a horror movie.

"You here for James Coughlin?" he asked, raising a blonde eyebrow to her. She nodded, not daring to speak. She wasn't even sure she could. "We almost lost him a few times, but he's stable." Kate sunk into the padded chair for the first time in hours. Relief, happiness, and her own physical pain set in all at the same time. She cried quietly to herself relishing the word stable.

"Can I see him?" she croaked. She needed to see him, even if it was just for a moment.

"He's in recovery right now. After he's been moved to a regular room I'll be more than happy to take you to see him." Refraining from pouting like a child, she nodded. "Looks like you have your own wounds to get tended to." He waved his wrist and a nurse pulled a wheelchair up beside her. Kate willingly moved into it.

After an x-ray, being put into a fresh new cast, and getting a harsh warning about staying off of her broken leg, she was wheeled into Jem's room. She was disappointed to find him still peacefully asleep. She half-expected him to be awake. A large gauze bandage wrapped around his shoulder and torso. He had an IV hooked up to the crook of his elbow along with a few other monitoring devices. The beep of his heart monitor made her breath stop at each pause.

"Can you shut that off, please?" she asked, politely.

"Sure," the nurse answered, pushing her to Jem's bed as she pressed a button on the screen.

"Thank you," she told her with a smile. The nurse nodded and left the room. Kate's hand climbed its way up into Jem's. His hand felt rough and calloused. She stared at the veins in his hand and peered up at him shyly. He looked so innocent and calm. So different from his norm. The lines on his face seemed much deeper. With a shaky hand she lifted her arm up to touch his face. He felt warm, but not as warm as he usually did.

"Jesus, Jem… I love you," she breathed, rubbing his cheek. Her left hand played with his Claddagh ring as her right hand stroked the stubble on his jaw. His silver chain pendant was lying on the table beside him. She picked it up and placed it on his lap. Her heart yearned to kiss him, but she wasn't sure she could muster the energy to do it. Her head felt like a dead weight as she laid it on the bed next to him…

"Who is this man, Kate?" Kate's father asked, walking the living room anxiously.

"Dad, please, don't start," she mumbled, sitting on the couch, staring out of the front window, waiting to see him come up around the corner.

"Robert, dear, just relax, I'm sure he's a charming man," her mother soothed, sitting down next to Kate on the couch. Kate's eyes lit up as she watched Jem walk up to the door, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, the sleeves of his dark blue sweater rolled up. She tried to remember the last time she had seen him in a sweater and jeans instead of a t-shirt and track pants. The doorbell rang and Robert dashed to the door, immediately, not skipping a beat.

"Sir," Jem stated, his voice low.

"You must be James Coughlin…" Robert started, looking him over. He cast a glance to Kate, who nodded in his direction. Robert opened the door wider. "Come on in." He scrutinized Jem's walk and demeanor. Kate smiled wildly when he walked into the living room.

"Jem, this is my dad, Robert, and my mom, Cheryl," she introduced, waving a hand to the both of them.

"For you, ma'am," he stated, holding the flowers out for Cheryl. Kate's mom blushed and took the flowers from him.

"Why thank you, Jem, you didn't have to do that," she explained through her fluster as she looked from the flowers to her husband.

They sat on the couch talking with her parents for close to an hour, going over pleasantries and history, Robert sat in the reclining chair facing them, playing the role of over protective father. He knew he played it well.

"It's almost 7, ya ready for dinnah?" Jem asked, rubbing Kate's hand.

"Yes," she answered, smiling to him. They rose up together, Robert following closely behind.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Jem," Cheryl chirped, shaking his hand as he walked with Robert and Kate towards the door.

"Same ta you," he told her. They stopped just short of the door, Robert still casting a glare down at Jem.

"You better make and keep her happy, Coughlin, you understand me? I got connections and I have my ways." Jem swallowed hard, keeping the beast inside of him at bay. He nodded his head at Robert, not sure he trusted himself to speak. "Give me words, Coughlin. I want to make sure you understand me."

"Yes, sir," he answered roughly…

"Kate," whispered an all too familiar voice. She groaned with her eyes still closed. "Kate," repeated the voice, a little louder. A hand gently ran down her face. Remembering Jem, forgetting where she was temporarily, she cursed and sat up quickly. Her eyes met his and she blinked, unsure if she was still dreaming or not. He smirked at her.

"You're alive," she stuttered, her eyebrows scrunching up.

"As far as I know," he told her. She pointed a finger at him, ready to unleash hell's mightiest fury. "Please, don't be mad…" he started. Jem looked so young and hurt compared to yesterday, it pushed her anger aside.

"Oh, Jem," she cried, falling on top of him. Hot tears fell from her eyes, soaking his chest and bandage. He comforted her the same way he always did, one hand on her back, the other tangled in her hair, gently massaging her scalp. "I thought you were dead," Kate sobbed. He bit his lip as tears of his own fell.

"I know, I'm sorry." His voice cracked through the words.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" He shut his eyes and squeezed her.

"I was doin' it ta protect ya – believe me – you can ask Doug, okay?" Jem explained, kissing her cheek. She rose from him and nodded, wiping away her tears.

"Don't ever do that to me again, you hear me?" He nodded. "Give me words, Coughlin. I want to make sure you understand me." He gave her a wide smile.

"Yes, ma'am." She smiled back at him with the same intensity.

"I love you, Jem," she whispered, holding his face.

"I love you, too, Kate," he breathed back.


End file.
